Method and apparatus for optimizing multi-protocol radio technology using local QOS advertising

ABSTRACT

A system and method including scanning a plurality of radio channels, via a radio scanning modem, in a shared communication frequency band for a plurality of base transceiver station (BTS) systems operating a first wireless link protocol within communication range of a wireless interface for an anchor BTS, detecting a BTS load for each detected BTS systems of the first wireless link protocol operating on each radio channel in a wireless neighborhood, receiving data scanned for the BTS load for detected BTS systems of a second wireless link protocol in the wireless neighborhood, and preparing a radiofrequency band local QoS report for at least one detected BTS system of the first wireless link protocol and at least one detected BTS system of the second wireless link protocol in the shared communication frequency band of the wireless neighborhood for unlicensed broadcast to a user mobile information handling system.

This application is a continuation of prior application Ser. No.15/379,480 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Optimizing Multi-ProtocolRadio Technology using Local QOS Advertising,” filed on Dec. 14, 2016,which is assigned to the current assignee hereof and is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Related subject matter is contained in the following co-pendingapplications:

U.S. application Ser. No. 15/367,077, entitled “Method and Apparatus forContext Aware Concurrent Radio Communication with Co-existing WWAN andWLAN Radios in Shared Spectrum,” filed on Dec. 1, 2016, the disclosureof which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.

U.S. application Ser. No. 15/362,702, entitled “Method and Apparatus forConcurrent Radio Communication in Shared Spectrum,” filed on Nov. 28,2016, the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated byreference in its entirety.

U.S. application Ser. No. 15/375,449, entitled “Method and Apparatus forContext Aware Concurrent Data Transmission Scheduling for Pan RadioTechnology,” filed on Dec. 12, 2016, the disclosure of which is herebyexpressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure generally relates to a method and apparatus for aradio resources communication management system to adapt to context andusage of communication channels in relation to users having a pluralityof available radiofrequency communication devices.

BACKGROUND

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individualsand businesses seek additional ways to process and store information.One option is an information handling system. An information handlingsystem generally processes, compiles, stores, or communicatesinformation or data for business, personal, or other purposes.Technology and information handling needs and requirements can varybetween different applications. Thus information handling systems canalso vary regarding what information is handled, how the information ishandled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, andhow quickly and efficiently the information can be processed, stored, orcommunicated. The variations in information handling systems allowinformation handling systems to be general or configured for a specificuser or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airlinereservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. Inaddition, information handling systems can include a variety of hardwareand software resources that can be configured to process, store, andcommunicate information and can include one or more computer systems,graphics interface systems, data storage systems, and networkingsystems. Information handling systems can also implement variousvirtualized architectures. Data communications among informationhandling systems may be via networks that are wired, wireless, opticalor some combination. Information handling systems may operate as basetransceiver stations (BTSs) to provide wireless communications to awireless network. Users may choose from among several availableradiofrequency communication platforms in information handling systemsfor data and other communications with other users via communication anddata networks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration,elements illustrated in the Figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.For example, the dimensions of some elements may be exaggerated relativeto other elements. Embodiments incorporating teachings of the presentdisclosure are shown and described with respect to the drawings herein,in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an information handling systemaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a network environment offering severalcommunication protocol options and wireless communication devicesaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless network neighborhoodfor a plurality of wireless access types available to an informationhandling system using according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an RF band local QoS advertisingsystem according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an RF band local QoS reportaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a context aware radio resourcemanagement system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of determining an RF bandlocal QoS report for broadcast according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating another method of determining anRF band local QoS report for broadcast according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description in combination with the Figures is provided toassist in understanding the teachings disclosed herein. The descriptionis focused on specific implementations and embodiments of the teachings,and is provided to assist in describing the teachings. This focus shouldnot be interpreted as a limitation on the scope or applicability of theteachings.

In the embodiments described herein, an information handling systemincludes any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operableto compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate,switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, oruse any form of information, intelligence, or data for business,scientific, control, entertainment, or other purposes. For example, aninformation handling system can be a personal computer, a consumerelectronic device, a network server or storage device, a switch router,wireless router, or other network communication device, a networkconnected device (cellular telephone, tablet device, etc.), a basetransceiver station or any other suitable device, and can vary in size,shape, performance, price, and functionality. The information handlingsystem can include memory (volatile (e.g. random-access memory, etc.),nonvolatile (read-only memory, flash memory etc.) or any combinationthereof), one or more processing resources, such as a central processingunit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), hardware or softwarecontrol logic, or any combination thereof. Additional components of theinformation handling system can include one or more storage devices, oneor more communications ports for communicating with external devices, aswell as, various input and output (I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, amouse, a video/graphic display, or any combination thereof. Theinformation handling system can also include one or more buses operableto transmit communications between the various hardware components.Portions of an information handling system may themselves be consideredinformation handling systems.

As wireless technologies blur across WLAN (such as Wi-Fi) with variousemerging 5G radio interfaces, multiple radio solutions across a sharedcommunication frequency band may become more available that will enablemultiple connections including always-connected platforms. As part ofthis development, silicon integration provides for multiple radioprotocol technologies to be used by a mobile information handling systemoperating in a wireless environment. For example, WLAN and WWANcommunication across heterogeneous networks operating concurrently willrequire intelligent schedule to minimize packet collisions andperformance. With emerging 5G technologies and existing previoustechnologies, local wireless networks in a variety of WWAN protocolsincluding WWAN technologies in microwave, cm/mm wave, and mm wavecommunication frequency bands. Examples of protocols in such WWANtechnologies include LTE microwave WWAN, LTE cm/mm wave WWAN, and WiGig(mm wave) among others. Further, additional radios may be available onmobile information handling systems for communication within localwireless network neighborhoods. Some of these technologies may besame-band operation technologies. For example, low power wireless areanetwork (LPWAN) protocols LoRaWAN, LTE-MTC, NarrowBand IoT, UNB, Sigfox,Haystack and other protocols may operate within a shared band. WLAN andsmall cell, unlicensed WWAN may operate in some shared bands in anotherexample.

As a mobile information handling system moves into a local wirelessnetwork neighborhood it may not yet be connected to the internet orconnected wirelessly. The present disclosure describes a broadcastingbase transceiver system within the wireless neighborhood assessingcongestion for base transceiver stations of various wireless protocolsoperating within the neighborhood and potentially within sharedcommunication frequency bands according to an embodiment. According toanother embodiment, the broadcasting base transceiver system may furtherassess quality of service levels or provide for wireless link ratings tobase transceiver systems operating within the wireless neighborhood. Inyet another aspect, the broadcasting base transceiver system maybroadcast details of the base transceiver systems across wireless linkprotocols in the wireless neighborhood, including identification, load,and other factors on an unlicensed channel to a user mobile informationhandling system. In an embodiment, no authorization would be needed toaccess the broadcast local quality of service (QoS) information for thebase transceivers. Further, no carrier access would be needed for such asystem in several embodiments since the radio frequency band local QoSinformation would be available on an unlicensed channel. In a furtherembodiment, the radio frequency band local QoS information may bebroadcast periodically or pursuant to a probe request for additionalinformation as described in embodiments herein.

FIG. 1 shows an information handling system 100 capable of administeringeach of the specific embodiments of the present disclosure. Theinformation handling system 100 can represent the wireless communicationdevices 210, 220, and 230, base transceiver stations 240, 258, 259, 260and 270 or other transceivers, or servers or systems 290 locatedanywhere within network 200 of FIG. 2, including the remote data center286 operating as a virtual machine for applications described herein.Information handling system 100 may operate as a base transceiver devicein some embodiments of the present disclosure. Additionally, informationhandling system 100 may represent a wireless communication deviceassociated with a user or recipient of intended wireless communication.

Information handling systems such as a base transceiver device or othernetworked system may execute code instructions for an RF band local QoSadvertising system according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Awireless communication device may execute instructions via a processorfor a context aware radio resource management system which may include aconcurrent wireless link optimization system according to additionalembodiments disclosed herein. The RF band local QoS advertising systemmay operate, in whole or in part, on a base transceiver station whileother portions may operate on remote server systems. Similarly, in otheraspects, the context aware radio resource management system, or theconcurrent wireless link optimization system, may operate in someexample embodiments as a software agent, in whole or in part, on awireless communication device while other portions of the context awareradio resource management system including a concurrent wireless linkoptimization system may operate on remote server systems. Informationhandling system 100 may also represent a networked server or othersystem and administer aspects of the context aware radio resourcemanagement system including a concurrent wireless link optimizationsystem via instructions executed on a processor according to variousembodiments herein involving remote operation of such systems. Theinformation handling system 100 may include a processor 102 such as acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), orboth. Moreover, the information handling system 100 can include a mainmemory 104 and a static memory 106 that can communicate with each othervia a bus 108. As shown, the information handling system 100 may furtherinclude a video display unit 110, such as a liquid crystal display(LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flat panel display, asolid state display, or display device. Display 110 may include a touchscreen display module and touch screen controller (not shown) forreceiving user inputs to the information handling system 100.Additionally, the information handling system 100 may include an inputdevice 112, such as a keyboard, and a cursor control device, such as amouse or touchpad or similar peripheral input device. The informationhandling system may include a power source such as battery 114 or an A/Cpower source. The information handling system 100 can also include adisk drive unit 116, and a signal generation device 118, such as aspeaker or remote control. The information handling system 100 caninclude a network interface device such as a wireless adapter 120. Theinformation handling system 100 can also represent a server device whoseresources can be shared by multiple client devices, or it can representan individual client device, such as a desktop personal computer, alaptop computer, a tablet computer, or a mobile smart phone. In someaspects, such as a base transceiver station, may not include some ormore aspects of the information handling system as described. Forexample, a base transceiver station may not include a video displaydevice 110 in an example embodiment.

The information handling system 100 can include a set of instructions124 that can be executed to cause the computer system to perform any oneor more of the methods or computer based functions disclosed herein. Forexample, instructions 124 may execute an RF band local QoS advertisingsystem, a context aware radio resource management system, a concurrentwireless link optimization system, software agents, or other aspects orcomponents. Similarly instructions 124 may be execute the RF band localQoS advertising system and the context aware radio resource managementsystem disclosed herein for monitoring base transceiver systems in awireless neighborhood operating a plurality of wireless links andresources. In some aspects, instructions 124 may execute the RF bandlocal QoS advertising system and the context aware radio resourcemanagement system disclosed herein for monitoring wireless devicewireless adapters, wireless link access points, base stations, and otherwireless resources for the purposes of assessing or modelinginterference for concurrent operations within one or more wirelesscommunication bands. Instructions 124 may also include aspects of theconcurrent wireless link optimization system to remedy or adjustment toselected wireless link frequency channels that may yield interferencedue to nearness of transmission or reception in frequency channels andphysical proximity. In other aspects instructions 124 may executealgorithms to regulate transmission or reception along those wirelesschannels selected but which occupy nearby, both physically and infrequency of wireless link channel, to minimize potential effects ofinterference. Various software modules comprising applicationinstructions 124 may be coordinated by an operating system (OS) and viaan application programming interface (API). An example operating systemmay include Windows®, Android®, and other OS types known in the art.Example APIs may include Win 32, Core Java API, or Android APIs. In afurther example, processor 102 may conduct monitoring and processing ofwireless communication device usage trends by the information handlingsystem 100 according to the systems and methods disclosed herein. Thecomputer system 100 may operate as a standalone device or may beconnected such as using a network, to other computer systems orperipheral devices.

In a networked deployment, the information handling system 100 mayoperate in the capacity of a server or as a client user computer in aserver-client user network environment, or as a peer computer system ina peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The informationhandling system 100 can also be implemented as or incorporated intovarious devices, such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, aset-top box (STB), a PDA, a mobile information handling system, apalmtop computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a wirelesscommunications device, a wireless telephone, a land-line telephone, abase transceiver, a control system, a camera, a scanner, a facsimilemachine, a printer, a pager, a personal trusted device, a web appliance,a network router, switch or bridge, or any other machine capable ofexecuting a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specifyactions to be taken by that machine. In a particular embodiment, thecomputer system 100 can be implemented using electronic devices thatprovide voice, video or data communication. Further, while a singleinformation handling system 100 is illustrated, the term “system” shallalso be taken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems thatindividually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructionsto perform one or more computer functions.

The disk drive unit 116 may include a computer-readable medium 122 inwhich one or more sets of instructions 124 such as software can beembedded. Similarly, main memory 104 and static memory 106 may alsocontain computer-readable medium for storage of one or more sets ofinstructions, parameters, or profiles 124. The disk drive unit 116 andstatic memory 106 also contains space for data storage. Further, theinstructions 124 may embody one or more of the methods or logic asdescribed herein. For example, instructions relating to the RF bandlocal QoS advertising system and the context aware radio resourcemanagement system, or the concurrent wireless link optimization systemsoftware algorithms may be stored here. Scanned load data relating totransceivers and RF band local QoS reports generated may be stored herein main memory 104, static memory 106, drive unit 116, or remotely vianetwork 128. Additionally, wireless communication device usage trenddata for the context aware radio resource management system,interference models or measured interference profiles for the concurrentwireless link optimization system and wireless link profiles relating tocontext aware radio resource management system may be stored in variousmemory types. Wireless link profiles stored here may include end-userprofile data measured by the processor 102 during wireless link usage.Profiles may additionally include crowd sourced spatial-temporal radiofrequency profiles for wireless links or for energy link consumptiondata. Interference profiles may include models relating to locations oftransmitters with respect to one another and relate to closeness (oridentity) of operating frequencies during concurrent operation with acommunication frequency band. In a particular embodiment, theinstructions, parameters, and profiles 124 may reside completely, or atleast partially, within the main memory 104, the static memory 106,and/or within the disk drive 116 during execution by the processor 102of information handling system 100. As explained, some or all of the RFband local QoS advertising system and the context aware radio resourcemanagement system of the present disclosure may be executed locally orremotely. The main memory 104 and the processor 102 also may includecomputer-readable media. Battery 114 may include a smart battery systemthat tracks and provides power state data 126. This power state data maybe stored with the instructions, parameters, and profiles 124 to be usedwith the systems and methods disclosed herein.

The network interface device shown as wireless adapter 120 can provideconnectivity to a network 128, e.g., a wide area network (WAN), a localarea network (LAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), a wirelesspersonal area network (WPAN), low power wireless area network (LPWAN), awireless wide area network (WWAN), or other network. Further wirelessadapter 120 may be used to broadcast one or more RF band local QoSreports to a local wireless neighborhood according to some embodiments.The wireless adapter 120 may broadcast in an unlicensed radio frequencyband, such as 2.4 GHz, and may use a variety of broadcast methodsincluding a broadcast channel or via generic advertising services.Connectivity may be via wired or wireless connection. Wireless adapter120 may include one or more radio frequency subsystems 130 withtransmitter/receiver circuitry, wireless controller circuitry,amplifiers and other circuitry for wireless communications. Eachradiofrequency subsystem 130 may communicate with one or more wirelesstechnology protocols in licensed or unlicensed spectrum. Theradiofrequency subsystem 130 may contain individual subscriber identitymodule (SIM) profiles for each technology service provider and theiravailable protocols. Alternatively it may have a software based SIMprofile that is reconfigurable. In yet another aspect, theradiofrequency subsystem may include an eSIM for electronic control overactivate SIM profile being used depending on the results of wirelesslink optimization analysis for context aware radio resource managementsystem and for concurrent radio operation interference modeling orassessment. The wireless adapter 120 may also include antenna system 132which may be tunable antenna systems for use with the system and methodsdisclosed herein. Further, radio frequency subsystem 130 may be ascanning radio frequency subsystem that may be capable of scanning amonga plurality of channels in one or more radio frequency communicationbands according to embodiments herein.

In some aspects of the present disclosure, one wireless adapter 120 mayoperate two or more wireless links. In one aspect, wireless adapters 120may operate two or more wireless links in a plurality of separatecommunication frequency bands. Those frequency bands may be under avariety of protocols and may reside in licensed or unlicensed frequencyspectrum. A wireless neighborhood may have a variety of wireless linkprotocols operating at a location or locations. Further, a plurality ofthe wireless link protocols may operate within a shared communicationfrequency band. In a further aspect, the wireless adapter 120 mayoperate the two or more wireless links with a single, sharedcommunication frequency band.

Shared communication frequency bands may be unlicensed bands such aswith the 5G standard relating to unlicensed wireless spectrum for smallcell 5G operation or for unlicensed Wi-Fi WLAN operation in an exampleaspect or within other frequency bands that are shared by protocols suchas service provider LPWAN protocols in upcoming network environments.For example, a 5 GHz wireless communication frequency band may beapportioned under the 5G standards for communication on either smallcell WWAN wireless link operation or Wi-Fi WLAN operation as describedfurther below. In another embodiment, 3.5 GHz shared spectrum frequencyband may be used to deploy small cell WWAN wireless links from a varietyof service providers. In yet another embodiment, LPWAN systems such asused for IoT network systems may operate in a shared ISM band such as900 MHz. Further, WPAN technologies may operate on shared bands underI.E.E.E. 802.15. In some embodiments, the shared, wireless communicationband may be transmitted through one or a plurality of antennas. Othershared communication frequency bands are contemplated for use with theembodiments of the present disclosure as well.

In other aspects, the information handling system 100 operating as awireless communication device may operate a plurality of wirelessadapters 120 for concurrent radio operation in one or more wirelesscommunication bands. The plurality of wireless adapters 120 may furthershare a wireless communication band in some disclosed embodiments. Inother embodiments, a separate wireless adapter may be used according tosome embodiments for broadcast communication of RF band local QoSreports.

The wireless adapter 120 may operate in accordance with any wirelessdata communication standards. To communicate with a wireless local areanetwork, standards including IEEE 802.11 WLAN standards, IEEE 802.15WPAN standards, WWAN such as 3GPP or 3GPP2, or similar wirelessstandards may be used. Wireless adapter 120 may connect to anycombination of macro-cellular wireless connections including 2G, 2.5G,3G, 4G, 5G or the like from one or more service providers. The wirelessadapter 120 can represent an add-in card, wireless network interfacemodule that is integrated with a main board of the information handlingsystem or integrated with another wireless network interface capability,or any combination thereof. In an embodiment the wireless adapter 120may include one or more radio frequency subsystems 130 includingtransmitters and wireless controllers for connecting via a multitude ofwireless links. In an example embodiment, an information handling systemmay have an antenna system transmitter 132 for 5G small cell WWAN, Wi-FiWLAN, LPWAN, or WiGig connectivity and one or more additional antennasystem transmitters 132 for macro-cellular communication. The radiofrequency subsystems 130 include wireless controllers to manageauthentication, connectivity, communications, power levels fortransmission, buffering, error correction, baseband processing, andother functions of the wireless adapter 120.

The radio frequency subsystems 130 of the wireless adapters may measurevarious metrics relating to wireless communication pursuant to operationof the RF band local QoS advertising system and the context aware radioresource management system as in the present disclosure. For example, abase transceiver system may scan and listen to determine load of nearbybase transceiver systems within wireless range of a wirelessneighborhood. In another example, the wireless controller of a radiofrequency subsystem 130 may manage detecting and measuring receivedsignal strength levels, bit error rates, signal to noise ratios,latencies, jitter, and other metrics relating to signal quality andstrength for the base transceiver system. In one embodiment, a wirelesscontroller may manage one or more radio frequency subsystems 130 withina wireless adapter 120. The wireless controller also managestransmission power levels which directly affect radio frequencysubsystem power consumption. To detect and measure power consumption bya radio frequency subsystem 130, the radio frequency subsystem 130 mayimplement current and voltage measurements of power that is directed tooperate a radio frequency subsystem. The voltage and current providespower measurement in milliwatts. Energy consumed may be calculated fromsample measurements by taking average power measured over a duration oftransmission. In an alternative embodiment of power measurement, counterregisters may be used to estimate power consumed during transmissions.Energy measurement may be a sampled during a count cycle. In this case,a sample energy measurement per count is multiplied into a count foroperation of a radio subsystem. In this way, power consumption may beestimated in an example embodiment.

The wireless network may have a wireless mesh architecture in accordancewith mesh networks described by the wireless data communicationsstandards or similar standards. The wireless adapter 120 may alsoconnect to the external network via a WPAN, WLAN, WWAN, LPWAN or similarwireless switched Ethernet connection. The wireless data communicationstandards set forth protocols for communications and routing via accesspoints, as well as protocols for a variety of other operations. Otheroperations may include handoff of client devices moving between nodes,self-organizing of routing operations, or self-healing architectures incase of interruption.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations such asapplication specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can be constructed to implement one or more ofthe methods described herein. Applications that may include theapparatus and systems of various embodiments can broadly include avariety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodimentsdescribed herein may implement functions using two or more specificinterconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and datasignals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or asportions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, thepresent system encompasses software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein may be implemented by software programsexecutable by a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limitedembodiment, implementations can include distributed processing,component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing.Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed toimplement one or more of the methods or functionality as describedherein.

The present disclosure contemplates a computer-readable medium thatincludes instructions, parameters, and profiles 124 or receives andexecutes instructions, parameters, and profiles 124 responsive to apropagated signal; so that a device connected to a network 128 cancommunicate voice, video or data over the network 128. Further, theinstructions 124 may be transmitted or received over the network 128 viathe network interface device or wireless adapter 120.

Information handling system 100 includes one or more applicationprograms 124, and Basic Input/Output System and firmware (BIOS/FW) code124. BIOS/FW code 124 functions to initialize information handlingsystem 100 on power up, to launch an operating system, and to manageinput and output interactions between the operating system and the otherelements of information handling system 100. In a particular embodiment,BIOS/FW code 124 reside in memory 104, and include machine-executablecode that is executed by processor 102 to perform various functions ofinformation handling system 100. In another embodiment (notillustrated), application programs and BIOS/FW code reside in anotherstorage medium of information handling system 100. For example,application programs and BIOS/FW code can reside in drive 116, in a ROM(not illustrated) associated with information handling system 100, in anoption-ROM (not illustrated) associated with various devices ofinformation handling system 100, in storage system 107, in a storagesystem (not illustrated) associated with network channel of a wirelessadapter 120, in another storage medium of information handling system100, or a combination thereof. Application programs 124 and BIOS/FW code124 can each be implemented as single programs, or as separate programscarrying out the various features as described herein.

While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single medium, theterm “computer-readable medium” includes a single medium or multiplemedia, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associatedcaches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also include any medium that is capableof storing, encoding, or carrying a set of instructions for execution bya processor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or moreof the methods or operations disclosed herein.

In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, thecomputer-readable medium can include a solid-state memory such as amemory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatileread-only memories. Further, the computer-readable medium can be arandom access memory or other volatile re-writable memory. Additionally,the computer-readable medium can include a magneto-optical or opticalmedium, such as a disk or tapes or other storage device to storeinformation received via carrier wave signals such as a signalcommunicated over a transmission medium. Furthermore, a computerreadable medium can store information received from distributed networkresources such as from a cloud-based environment. A digital fileattachment to an e-mail or other self-contained information archive orset of archives may be considered a distribution medium that isequivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the disclosure isconsidered to include any one or more of a computer-readable medium or adistribution medium and other equivalents and successor media, in whichdata or instructions may be stored.

FIG. 2 illustrates a network 200 that can include one or moreinformation handling systems. In a particular embodiment, network 200includes networked wireless communication devices 210, 220, and 230,wireless network access points, and multiple wireless connection linkoptions. A variety of additional computing resources of network 200 mayinclude client mobile information handling systems, data processingservers 290, network storage devices, local and wide area networks, orother resources as needed or desired. As specifically depicted, systems210, 220, and 230 may be a laptop computer, tablet computer, orsmartphone device. These wireless communication devices 210, 220, and230, may access a wireless local network 240, or they may access amacro-cellular network 250. For example, the wireless local network 240may be the wireless local area network (WLAN) 241, a wireless personalarea network (WPAN), low power wireless area network (LPWAN), or awireless wide area network (WWAN). In an example embodiment, LTE-LAA, oremerging 5G WWAN may operate with an anchor small-cell WWAN wirelessoption 242 with a supplemental unlicensed small cell WWAN wireless linkoption as well. In this example embodiment, the licensed LTE-LAA WWANanchor link and the unlicensed small cell WWAN supplemental link mayoperate in different communication frequency bands. Similar arrangementsfor emerging 5G and other upcoming protocols are similarly contemplatedin some embodiments. For example, emerging 5G may include small cellanchor WWAN data on a licensed band and supplemental small cell WWAN onan unlicensed band. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, thesupplemental small cell WWAN radio capability may become a more primarysource of data and communication links if the cost and availability ofsuch wireless links become more prevalent.

In yet other embodiments, LPWAN systems such as LPWAN 258 from serviceprovider “C” and LPWAN 259 from service provider “D” may operate onshared communication frequency bands in some example embodiments such asISM bands. Other examples of competing protocols operating on sharedcommunication frequency bands are also contemplated and discussed inembodiments herein.

Since WPAN or Wi-Fi Direct Connection 248 and WWAN networks 242 canfunctionally operate similar to WLANs, they may be considered aswireless local area networks (WLANs) for purposes herein. Components ofa WLAN or other local wireless network 240 may be connected by wirelineor Ethernet connections to a wider external network. For example,wireless network access points may be connected to a wireless networkcontroller and an Ethernet switch. Wireless communications acrosswireless local network 240 may be via standard protocols such as IEEE802.11 Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.11ad WiGig, IEEE 802.15 WPAN, or emerging 5Gsmall cell WWAN communications such as eNodeB, or similar wirelessnetwork protocols. Alternatively, other available wireless links withinnetwork 200 may include macro-cellular connections 250 via one or moreservice providers 260 and 270. Service provider macro-cellularconnections may include 2G standards such as GSM, 2.5G standards such asGSM EDGE and GPRS, 3G standards such as W-CDMA/UMTS and CDMA 2000, 4Gstandards, or emerging 5G standards including WiMAX, LTE, and LTEAdvanced, LTE-LAA, small cell WWAN, and the like.

Wireless local network 240 and macro-cellular network 250 may include avariety of licensed, unlicensed or shared communication frequency bandsas well as a variety of wireless protocol technologies ranging fromthose operating in macrocells, small cells, picocells, or femtocells.

In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, a networkedwireless communication device 210, 220, or 230 may have a pluralitywireless network interface systems capable of transmittingsimultaneously within a shared communication frequency band. Thatcommunication within a shared communication frequency band may besourced from different protocols on parallel wireless network interfacesystems or from a single wireless network interface system capable oftransmitting and receiving from multiple protocols. Similarly, a singleantenna or plural antennas may be used on each of the wirelesscommunication devices. Example competing protocols may be local wirelessnetwork access protocols such as Wi-Fi, WiGig, and small cell WLAN in anunlicensed, shared communication frequency band. Example communicationfrequency bands may include unlicensed 5 GHz frequency bands or 3.5 GHzconditional shared communication frequency bands under FCC Part 96.Wi-Fi ISM frequency bands that could be subject to future sharinginclude 2.4 GHz, 60 GHz, 900 MHz or similar bands as understood by thoseof skill in the art. Within local portion of wireless network 250 accesspoints for Wi-Fi or WiGig as well as small cell WWAN connectivity may beavailable in emerging 5G technology. This may create issues withselection of optimal wireless links when concurrent communication onboth WLAN and WWAN access may operate within the same communicationfrequency bands. For example, when a mobile information handling systemsuch as 210, 220, or 230 enters a wireless neighborhood with such aplurality of wireless link options, limited information may be availableto assist in selecting one or more wireless links with optimized qualityand limited loading, cost, or power consumption. Such information may beprovided for and presented by one or more base transceiver systems in awireless neighborhood. For example, an RF band local QoS advertisingsystem and the context aware radio resource management system may gathercomponents of relevant information for base transceiver station systemsaccording to embodiments herein and broadcast or make available thatinformation for broadcast to the wireless neighborhood to assist inselection of one or more wireless links. Further, such issues may beaddressed or mitigated with remedies according to the context awareradio resource management system including a concurrent wireless linkoptimization system 291 according to embodiments herein.

The voice and packet core network 280 may contain externally accessiblecomputing resources and connect to a remote data center 286. The voiceand packet core network 280 may contain multiple intermediate webservers or other locations with accessible data (not shown). The voiceand packet core network 280 may also connect to other wireless networkssimilar to 240 or 250 and additional wireless communication devices suchas 210, 220, 230 or similar connected to those additional wirelessnetworks. Connection 282 between the wireless network 240 and remotedata center 286 or connection to other additional wireless networks maybe via Ethernet or another similar connection to the world-wide-web, aWAN, a LAN, another WLAN, or other network structure. Such a connection282 may be made via a WLAN access point/Ethernet switch to the externalnetwork and be a backhaul connection. The access point may be connectedto one or more wireless access points in the WLAN before connectingdirectly to a wireless communication device or may connect directly toone or more wireless communication devices 210, 220, and 230.Alternatively, wireless communication devices 210, 220, and 230 mayconnect to the external network via base station locations at serviceproviders such as 260 and 270. These service provider locations may benetwork connected via backhaul connectivity through the voice and packetcore network 280.

Remote data center 286 may include web servers or resources within acloud environment. For example, remote data centers can includeadditional information handling systems, data processing servers,network storage devices, local and wide area networks, or otherresources as needed or desired. Having such remote capabilities maypermit fewer resources to be maintained at the wireless communicationdevices 210, 220, and 230 allowing streamlining and efficiency withinthose devices. Similarly, remote data center 286 permits fewer resourcesto be maintained in other parts of network 200.

In an example embodiment, the cloud or remote data center 286 ornetworked server 290 may run hosted applications for systems 210, 220,and 230. For example, remote data center 286, networked server 290, orsome combination of both may operate some or all of an RF band local QoSadvertising system and the context aware radio resource managementsystem or a concurrent wireless link optimization system as disclosed inthe present disclosure. This may occur by establishing a virtual machineapplication executing software to manage applications hosted at theremote data center 286 in an example embodiment. Wireless communicationdevices 210, 220, and 230 are adapted to run one or more applicationslocally, and to have hosted applications run in association with thelocal applications at remote data center 286 or networked server 290.For example, wireless communication devices 210, 220, and 230 mayoperate some or all of the RF band local QoS advertising system and thecontext aware radio resource management system including a concurrentwireless link optimization system agent in some embodiments. The virtualmachine application may serve one or more applications to each ofwireless communication device 210, 220, and 230. Thus, as illustrated,systems 210, 220, and 230 may be running applications locally whilerequesting data objects related to those applications from the remotedata center 286 via wireless network. In another example, an electronicmail client application may run locally at system 210. The electronicmail client application may be associated with a host application thatrepresents an electronic mail server. In another example, a data storageclient application such as Microsoft Sharepoint may run on system 220.It may be associated with a host application running at remote datacenter 286 that represents a Sharepoint data storage server. In afurther example, a web browser application may be operating at system230. The web browser application may request web data from a hostapplication that represents a hosted website and associated applicationsrunning at remote data center 286.

Although 215, 225, and 235 are shown connecting wireless adapters ofwireless communication devices 210, 220, and 230 to wireless networks240 or 250, wireless communication may link through a wireless accesspoint (Wi-Fi or WiGig), through unlicensed WWAN small cell base stationssuch as in network 240 or though a service provider tower such as thatshown with service provider A 260 or service provider B 270 and innetwork 250. Further, the wireless communication devices 210, 220, and230 may receive broadcast RF band local QoS advertising reports viawireless links operating on unlicensed communication frequencies such asthose occupied by Wi-Fi or similar protocols. In other aspects, wirelesscommunication devices 210, 220, and 230 may communicate intra-device via248 when one or more of the wireless communication devices 210, 220, and230 are set to act as a access point or even potentially an WWANconnection via small cell communication on licensed or unlicensed WWANconnections. For example, one of wireless communication devices 210,220, and 230 may serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot in an embodiment. Since oneaspect of the disclosed embodiments involves assessment base transceiversystems and of wireless links by an RF band local QoS advertising systemand the context aware radio resource management system including aconcurrent wireless link optimization system, no particular wirelesslink selection is depicted in FIG. 2.

The connection quality of service (QoS) and speed of wireless links 215,225, and 235 may vary widely depending on several factors including theservice provider bandwidth, the number of wireless communication devicesand users in a location, and other factors. Quality of service impactsenergy consumption and efficiency of a wireless communication devicecommunicating wirelessly. Thus, selection of a wireless link may dependon assessment of the link radio frequency conditions. Assessment of linkradio frequency conditions may be made via the RF band local QoSadvertising system and the context aware radio resource managementsystem assessing load for a wireless neighborhood and reporting QoSaspects of available wireless links. For example, a context aware radioresource management system may develop a link rating for a plurality ofwireless links. Radio frequency conditions for wireless links willevolve over time. Load may change over time on various base transceiversystems. Differences in wireless link QoS or efficiency will also varyminute-by-minute, hourly, daily, weekly or monthly or during even longerperiods. Thus, assessment may need to be regular. Scanning neighborhoodbase transceiver station systems for load may be conducted periodicallyand contributed to wireless intelligence reports for a wirelessneighborhood. Further, wireless intelligence reports may be gathered orcrowd sourced in a database accessible by the context aware radioresource management system including the concurrent wireless linkoptimization system. The wireless intelligence report data base mayinclude wireless link data with respect to wireless link quality ofservice and experience for a plurality of wireless links at variouslocations and for particular types of data usage. This data may berelated to particular base transceiver station systems within a wirelessneighborhood. Additional database information may be available to thecontext aware radio resource management system including a concurrentwireless link optimization system relating to wireless service usagetrends for wireless communication devices such as 210, 220, and 230.These wireless service usage trends may be tracked according to time ofday, day of the week, location or other similar factors to indicate howwireless links are used in wireless communication devices such as 210,220, and 230. Some wireless service usage trend data may be stored atthe wireless communication devices 210, 220, and 230. In other aspectsthis data and reporting for wireless service usage types may be reportedto the context aware radio resource management system which mayinterface with the RF band local QoS advertising system.

Wireless link conditions will vary depending on the type of servicelikely to be requested by the mobile information handling system. Forexample, voice communication may be most efficient on a 2G wirelessprotocol. Voice communication on 4G and emerging 5G may be more costlyin terms of time required for authentication and connectivitynegotiation or in terms of transmission power requirements. Dataservices relating to messaging and SMTP email may have the lowest powercost on 2.5G protocols due to the simplest access barriers there. Higherlevel data services requiring greater wireless bandwidth may moreefficiently use recently implemented protocols. For example, audiostreaming may be optimal for 3G protocols. Video streaming and HTTP webbrowsing may be best suited to 4G protocols or emerging 5G and much lessefficient at lower protocols which are not designed to accommodate largedata throughput.

As the protocols become more advanced, additional registration andinitialization for data becomes costly from a processing and powerconsumption standpoint. This is balanced against the capabilities of themore advanced protocols to handle data transfers. More complicatedcommunication protocols result in greater processing time andauthentication/connection message exchange. More robust processor orcontroller operation and longer delays for transmitter or receivercircuits consume power. On the other hand, certain protocol advancementsare designed to make data transfers quicker and more efficient. Thus forexample, the 4G or 5G protocol may generally consume more power duringoperation than 2.5G for voice communications, but less power for highvolume data transfers.

For this reason, the wireless communication device operating context canplay an important role in determining wireless link conditions andefficiency from a power consumption standpoint. Information aboutwireless link connection quality and capacity for a service to be usedcan be advantageous in optimizing communication channel selection. Inmost cases, transmission or reception via a macro-cellular network 250base station at a service provider 260 or 270 will take more power thancommunication via WLAN such as Wi-Fi, via a LPWAN, or via a small cellWWAN wireless link. Among macro-cellular systems, energy consumptiongenerally, but not in all circumstances, increases at each advancementof technology protocol from 2G to 5G. Additional future macro-cellularprotocols are contemplated as well. Those protocols may requireadditional energy demands of mobile information handling systems.

Additionally, often the QoS of an end-to-end wireless communication pathbetween wireless communication devices of a user and a recipient willmost directly be affected the QoS levels at the end stages of thewireless communication path. For example, the wireless link QoS betweena user wireless communication device and the wireless network on one endand the wireless link QoS between a recipient wireless communicationdevice on the other end are often the places where communication pathquality compromise, capacity limitation, or latency is most likely tooccur.

Increased traffic levels or loads on wireless link protocol may slowdown the wireless link in comparison to another technology with lessactive traffic. This may also cause greater energy consumption fortransmission on a congested wireless link. Factors impacting energyconsumption include switching and signaling during communication access,setup, and authentication. Additional factors that impact energyconsumption include control communications, latencies,transmission/reception, and switching for the wireless link. Asdescribed above, these factors can be specific to the type of wirelessservice being requested, whether voice, messaging, SMTP, Audio, Video,HTTP or other service types. It can also be specific to the wirelesscommunication device used. Certain protocols may not be available onsome mobile information handling systems. In each instance, radiofrequency transmission subsystems and controllers operate and consumedevice power. Based on these numerous factors, the system of the presentembodiment may automatically switch between radio network technologiesor service providers to optimize radio frequency conditions, trafficconditions, device power consumption, cost, or any of the above.Selection of a wireless service provider and technology protocol maygenerally depend on the optimal wireless technology used for a servicerequested, the radio frequency conditions of a link, traffic conditionsfor the wireless link, and availability of a link.

Further, concurrent radiofrequency bands may be used having severalchannels for wireless link connections and which may include withpotential overlapping use of shared radiofrequency bands includingunlicensed bands and conditional shared communication frequency bandsavailable under FCC Part 96 with use under Wi-Fi, small cell WWAN,LPWAN, and emerging 5G technologies such as unlicensed small cellwireless links. For this reason, wireless link protocols in a wirelessneighborhood may not coordinate channel usage and congestion issues foravailable wireless links. Further, concurrent use by mobile informationhandling systems of a shared communication frequency band may arise.Accordingly, wireless links 215, 225 and 235 may represent concurrentwireless links for two or more protocols operating within similarfrequency bands. With the rise of multiple wireless protocols operatingwithin shared communication frequency bands, wireless links may operateon separate channels within the communication frequency band, includingwithin neighboring channels. In other aspects, the possibility furtherarises that wireless protocols within a communication frequency band mayeven attempt to operate on the same channel within a sharedcommunication frequency band. Reporting of congestion amongst wirelesslink protocols sharing a radio frequency communication band for awireless neighborhood may provide simplified information for decisionsto access one or more wireless links. Aspects of the present disclosuremay determine potential conflicts within shared communication frequencybands as well as manage or mitigate interference that may arise withinsuch situations.

An RF band local QoS advertising system and the context aware radioresource management system with a concurrent wireless link optimizationsystem 291 may assess channels for potential interference and conflictwithin the shared communication frequency bands and provide RF bandlocal QoS reports via unlicensed broadcast. RF band local QoSadvertising system may scan load levels on channels within the sharedcommunication frequency band. The context aware radio resourcemanagement system 291 may maintain RF traffic reports relating towireless links at a database. That database may be located within thewireless network for example at remote data center 286. RF trafficreport database aggregates wireless link QoS data across the wirelessnetwork and with respect to base transceiver stations operating with thecontext aware radio resource management system including a concurrentwireless link optimization system of the present disclosure. The RFtraffic report database of the context aware radio resources systemmaintains performance data of service providers and various wirelessprotocols available for a wireless neighborhood. The aggregated RFtraffic report database may be accumulated or crowd sourced frommultiple wireless communication devices for base transceiver systemsoperating in a given wireless neighborhood. The RF band local QoSadvertising system may then broadcast this information to mobileinformation handling systems entering a wireless neighborhood to assistin determination of an appropriate wireless link. This feature will bedescribed further below.

Further, the concurrent wireless link optimization system of the contextaware radio resource management system 291 may determine or modelinterference to be experienced by selection of wireless links formultiple protocols, or even for a protocol operating on severalchannels, that operate simultaneously within a radiofrequencycommunication band. Wi-Fi/WiGig WLAN protocols, small cell WWANprotocols, LPWAN protocols, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and other WPAN protocols,in an example embodiment, may operate in the same shared communicationfrequency bands. Data relating to neighborhood interference lists,access point and small cell substation locations, and modeled ormeasured interference during operation of simultaneous wireless linkswithin a shared communication radiofrequency band are stored by theconcurrent wireless link optimization system portion of the contextaware radio resource management system 291 in a database, at a remotedata center 286, or at individual wireless communication mobile devices210, 220, or 230. The concurrent wireless link optimization system 291may determine or alter selection of optimal wireless links based onassessment of potential interference or collision from selection ofthose wireless links and the channels within the shared band on whichthey are operating. In other embodiments, the concurrent wireless linkoptimization system 291 may implement interference or collisionmitigation strategies if optimal wireless links are to be selected dueto availability, link quality, usage trends, cost, power or otherfactors taken into consideration by the wider context aware radioresource management system. In another example embodiment where licensedand unlicensed small cell WWAN communications are available, utilizationof the free, unlicensed small cell WWAN on a shared communicationfrequency band may be turned off and the anchor licensed small cell WWANon a licensed communication frequency band may be used instead to avoidinterference or potential packet collision. Several example embodimentsof the operation of the wireless link optimization system 291 aredescribed in the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a wireless neighborhood 310 in an example embodiment.The wireless neighborhood may be a building, campus, shopping area,airport, or other area having a plurality of competing wireless linkoptions available. In some aspects, the wireless neighborhood may befacilities or a campus associated with an enterprise, military,university, government or municipal organization. Within wirelessneighborhood 310 there is a plurality of base transceiver systems (BTSs)including several access points (APs) including AP1 320, AP2 325, AP3335, and AP4 340. As shown, each of the access points may record andreport a position including latitude and longitude values. Additionally,in wireless neighborhood 310 is a plurality of small cell WWANsubstations such as SmallCell 1 315 and SmallCell 2 330. SmallCelll 315and SmallCell 2 330 additionally may report latitude and longitudelocation information. Reports of location may be made to the RF bandlocal QoS advertising system and the context aware radio resourcemanagement system.

Wireless neighborhood 310 represents a plurality of BTSs operatingwithin a shared communication frequency band such as U-NII band in anexample embodiment. The BTS wireless devices may be operating in aplurality of wireless link protocols and may operate across severalcommunication frequency bands and for various wireless link protocols.For example, a shared communication frequency band in the wirelessneighborhood 310 may support a plurality of LPWAN protocols, WiGig, orother protocols. In a further example embodiment, mobile informationhandling system such as tablet 350 may have access to carrier licensedsmall cell WWAN service under emerging 5G and other technologies. Withthe carrier licensed small cell WWAN service, an anchor small cell BTS(not shown) may be available for WWAN access under a separate licensedcommunication frequency band. The licensed communication frequency bandmay be licensed to a specific wireless service provider or othercarrier. Since the licensed communication frequency band is a distinctband from the shared unlicensed communication frequency band, localinterference is reduced not a substantial issue. However, a licensedcommunication frequency band such as via an anchor small cell BTS willhave a cost associated with it and may be less desirable than bandwidthon an available unlicensed small cell WWAN BTS. The unlicensed smallcell WWAN capacity for mobile information handling system 350 may besupplementary bandwidth to the licensed small cell WWAN in an exampleembodiment. Determination of interference risk for use of thesupplementary unlicensed small cell WWAN link may be used in assessmentof options between licensed and unlicensed small cell WWAN to be used bymobile information handling system 350 when operating concurrentwireless links according to some embodiments.

The RF band local QoS advertising system and the context aware radioresource management system may advertise reports of load, QoS, forchannels and BTS wireless devices within wireless neighborhood 310. ABTS system may serve as a hub, such as an AP 320, to broadcast RF bandlocal QoS reports to mobile information handling systems such as 350.When a mobile information handling system such as 350 enters a wirelessneighborhood 310 without a preexisting internet connection, it mayaccess a broadcast RF band local QoS report from the RF band local QoSadvertising system and the context aware radio resource managementsystem. Such an RF band local QoS report may be available via anunlicensed channel with no need for authorization to access. Such RFband local QoS reports may be used by mobile information handling systemin determining optimal wireless links for communication.

The RF band local QoS advertising system may maintain neighborhood BTSlists such as 305 pertaining to wireless BTS devices in the wirelessneighborhood 310. The hub BTS device in the wireless neighborhood withsome or all of a RF band local QoS advertising system operating thereonmay scan the shared communication frequency to assess each channel forBTS devices operating thereon according to some embodiments. The hub BTSmay be AP 1 320 in an example embodiment and may scan the wirelessneighborhood 310 for the additional APs 325, 335, and 340 for channelsand for load on each of those AP devices in an example embodiment. Insome embodiments, the hub BTS AP 1 320 may also have a tandem scanningmodem capability of scanning for unlicensed small cell WWAN basestations 315 and 320. In another embodiment, one unlicensed small cellWWAN base station may serve as a hub base station and scan the otherbase stations in the wireless neighborhood. For example, small cell WWANbase station 315 may scan for other base stations, such as small cellWWAN base station 330 and report that information relating to channelidentity, BTS identification, load and other details back to the hub BTSsuch as AP 1 320.

Each of the BTS wireless devices are listed in 305 for the wirelessneighborhood and the type of wireless link supported may be determined.Further, neighborhood BTS lists 305 may include operating channelfrequencies and location of each of the wireless link access optionsthat are either APs or small cell WWAN substations in the presentembodiment. In other embodiments, additional communication frequencybands, including other shared communication frequency bands, may beassessed for the plurality of BTS wireless devices serving the wirelessneighborhood 310. Shown in example embodiment 305 are operating channelfrequencies are those that fall within one shared communicationfrequency band in an embodiment. Finally, the concurrent wireless linkoptimization system may establish BTS utilization metrics which mayinvolve estimation of levels or rating of utilization of the APs and thesmall cell WWAN substations in the neighborhood BTS lists 305. In someembodiments, the neighborhood BTS lists may be used to prepare RF bandlocal QoS reports for the RF band local QoS advertising system. In otherembodiments, the neighborhood BTS list 305 may be used, such as for theexample shared communication band at 5 GHz, to assess potentialinterference at the BTS level as well as potential local interferenceexperienced by a mobile information handling system such as tablet 350.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example RF band local QoS advertising system 430and the context aware radio resource management system 460 according toan example embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, theembodiment of FIG. 4 shows a RF band local QoS advertising system 430for localized channel occupancy and load reporting on one or more sharedcommunication frequency bands 425 in a wireless neighborhood. In oneexample embodiment, an unlicensed shared communication band 425 may bethe Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band whichtypically operates in the ˜5 MHz frequency band 422 such as 802.11a/h/j/n/ac (e.g., center frequencies between 5.170-5.785 GHz). In otherexample embodiments of shared communication frequency bands may alsoinclude shared 3.5 GHz 423 under Citizens Broadband Radio Service thatis a shared band that may operate with licensed and unlicensedprotocols. Other example shared bands that may support embodimentsdiscussed herein may further include ISM 2.4 GHz 442, and 56-71 GHz 421shared communication frequency bands. In addition to supporting WLAN andsmall cell unlicensed WWAN protocols, each of the above sharedcommunication frequency bands may also support other various competingprotocols such as LPWAN protocols among others.

In this example embodiment, the RF band local QoS advertising system 430may reside on a hub BTS wireless device 410 which may include a tunableradio module and antenna system 420. In other embodiments, some or allof the RF band local QoS advertising system 430 may reside and operateremotely as described herein. Tunable radio module and antenna system420 for hub BTS 410 may operate in at least one shared communicationfrequency band 421, 422, or 423 and be tunable for a variety of channelswithin each shared communication frequency band 425. In one exampleembodiment, hub BTS 410 may further have a tunable radio module andantenna system 420 that may operate on a plurality of sharedcommunication frequency bands such as any of 421, 422, 423, and 442.

Some embodiments may include, BTSs for competing protocols in a sharedcommunication frequency band such as WLAN and small cell WWAN protocolsoperating in a 5 GHz frequency band. Other competing wireless linkprotocols in a shared communication band may include competing LPWANprotocols including LoRaWAN, LTE-MTC, NarrowBand IoT, UNB, Sigfox, orHaystack as examples that may operate within a shared communicationband. The tunable radio module and antenna system 420 may scan for andgenerate a neighborhood BTS list determining the channels on whichdetected APs and small cell WWAN wireless links are operating in anexample embodiment. In another example, neighborhood BTS list may begenerated by determining the channels on which detected BTSs for LPWANprotocols are operating.

Network interface driver may be part of tunable radio module and antennasystem 420 which may have available front end RF circuitry for radiooperation in a plurality of additional wireless links or a plurality ofradio frequency bands.

RF band local QoS advertising system 430 may include a radio scanningmodem 432, a merger module 434, and a local advertising RF band localQoS report formatting system 436. RF band local QoS advertising system430 may be utilized according to embodiments herein to determine channelby channel occupancy by wireless neighborhood BTS systems and to gatherinformation about those BTS systems including current load capacitiesvia radio scanning modem 432. Radio scanning modem 432 may be instructedto scan each channel for BTS system activity among each of the sharedcommunication frequency bands 425. In some example embodiments, hub BTS410 may only operate in one or a few shared communication frequencybands and on only one or a few types of wireless protocols. For BTSsystems on different wireless protocols or for different sharedcommunication frequency bands not supported by hub BTS, auxiliary hubBTS systems specific to theses wireless link protocols or other sharedcommunication frequency bands may have radio scanning modems forcollecting BTS information including load information. The auxiliary hubBTS systems with scanning modems may report BTS data including load datafor other wireless link protocols or radio frequency bands back to theRF band local QoS advertising system 430 at hub BTS device 410.

RF band local QoS advertising system 430 may also include a mergingengine 434 for merging both load and neighborhood BTS system datalocally gathered for a wireless neighborhood with remotely acquired dataon wireless links from a context aware radio resource management system460. Merging engine 434 may associate data, such as link ratings foroperating wireless links, with locally collected data for BTS devices ina wireless neighborhood of hub BTS device 410.

RF band local QoS advertising system 430 may report locally scanned loadand other BTS device data scanned in a wireless neighborhood to thecontext aware radio resource management system 460 remotely located at acloud location 450 such as a server system or a mobile informationhandling system. Some aspects of the context aware radio resourcemanagement system 460 are described in several embodiments in U.S. Pat.Nos. 9,088,859, 9,119,039, 9,210,714, 9,167,591 as well as severalapplications to the same assignee and incorporated herein by reference.The context aware radio resource management system 460 may include aconcurrent wireless link optimization system as described in variousembodiments herein. The context aware radio resource management system460 may reside on a remote data center or may reside on a userinformation handling system. Portions may reside on the mobileinformation handling systems which seek to potentially access aplurality of concurrent wireless links or may reside on a hub BTS systemin some example embodiments.

The centralized context aware radio resource management system 460 mayaccess wireless intelligence/traffic reports 462 to determine wirelesslink ratings for wireless links operating on the BTS wireless deviceswithin the wireless neighborhood of hub BTS 410. Centralized contextaware radio resource management system 460 may also accesslocation/usage based policy algorithms 464 such as provided in userprofiles for particular data service types to further develop wirelesslink ratings according to some embodiments. Several embodiments of theoperation of a centralized context aware radio resource managementsystem 460 are described in various embodiments herein including withrespect to FIG. 6. Link ratings or QoS data for wireless linksassociated with BTS systems may be reported to merging engine 434 formerger of data with locally determined BTS system data for the wirelessneighborhood.

RF band local QoS advertising system 430 may also include a localadvertising formatting system 436 which may select a RF band local QoSreport format for broadcast. The local advertising formatting system 436may also establish the broadcast of the RF band local QoS reports 440 tomobile information handling systems such as 470 in the wirelessneighborhood. The RF band local QoS advertising system 430 may use anunlicensed radio channel such as 442 to broadcast RF band local QoSreports 440. Formats of the RF band local QoS reports 440 may be variedand established according to embodiments herein including theembodiments shown in FIG. 5. In another embodiment, a table format suchas interference table 305 in FIG. 3 may be used. It is understood thatany other format of transmitting data about the local conditions for BTSsystems in the wireless neighborhood may be used.

The RF band local QoS reports 440 may be broadcast periodically on aWLAN broadcast channel in the unlicensed spectrum such as 2.4 GHz ISMshared frequency band 442 in some embodiments. Other embodiments may usea different unlicensed frequency band 425. The RF band local QoS reports440 may be broadcast with relative frequency in an aspect so that newlyarriving mobile information handling systems such as 470 may have accessto the local wireless neighborhood QoS data at 472. No authorization isnecessary for access to the RF band local QoS reports 440 on theunlicensed radio channel 442.

In some embodiments, the RF band local QoS reports may be available viaadvertisement that the reports are available on a generic advertisementservice (GAS) such as used with Wi-Fi WLAN protocols. The GAS protocolsmay operate under 802.11u for example and advertise the availability ofthe RF band local QoS reports 440 within a vendor specific reserved areain a beacon tag. Upon indication that RF band local QoS reports 440 areavailable via GAS on an unlicensed communication channel 442, a mobileinformation handling system 470 may generate a probe to request the RFband local QoS reports 440. Again, no authorization would be necessaryto access the RF band local QoS reports 440. The mobile informationhandling system 470 may utilize the RF band local QoS reports 470 toassist in selection of a wireless link 470 for connection in thewireless neighborhood.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of RF band local QoS reports that may bebroadcast by a hub BTS on an unlicensed channel. Broadcast of the RFband local QoS reports may be made to mobile information handlingsystems to assist in providing expedient information on BTS systems andwireless links for a wireless neighborhood. The RF band local QoSreports may include reports for BTS systems in various bands and invarious wireless links. In the example embodiment, an RF band local QoSreport includes a report component 510 for a neighborhood WLAN BTSdevice called EnterpriseAP1. The localized RF Band Quality AdvertisementEngine may generate a portion 512 of the RF band local QoS report 510.The locally generated portion 512 of the RF band local QoS report 510may include identification of the BTS in a wireless neighborhood, thewireless link protocol, the location, security type, operation band andchannel. Further, the local portion 512 of RF band local QoS report 510may include channel size information as well as scanned RF traffic loadinformation. Additional information such as identifying information, forexample SSID data, may be similarly included as understood. Localportion 512 may include load determinations as well. In some aspectshowever, load information may be a blend of data from both the localscanning and remotely sourced data from a centralized context awareradio resource management system.

In an embodiment another portion 514 of RF band local QoS report 510 maybe derived from information received from a centralized context awareradio resource management system in accordance with embodiments herein.Portion 514 of RF band local QoS report 510 may include QoS measurementinformation or ratings or may include wireless link ratings for thewireless link operating via the BTS system. In this particularembodiment, the RF band local QoS report 510 may include a usage-basedwireless link rating score in portion 514 derived from the context awareradio resource management system.

In another example embodiment, RF band local QoS report 520 is shown fora small cell WWAN base station. In this particular embodiment, the smallcell WWAN base station is identified as called PrivateEnterprise 1.Locally derived BTS information portion 522 may include BTS deviceidentification, radio protocol type, location, security type, and aradio communication band. In this embodiment, the 3.5 GHz band is usedfor small cell WWAN base station operation. Additional information maybe provided on the locally derived portion 522 of RF band local QoSreport 520 including channel, channel size, and traffic load. In someaspects, BTS load data may be partially sourced from remotely sourcedinformation as well. Likewise to RF band local QoS report 510, a remotesourced portion 524 may be derived from a data received from acentralized context aware radio resource management system. Portion 524may include QoS measurements or ratings or may include link ratings forservice usages for the BTS identified.

In an embodiment, RF band local QoS report 510 and RF band local QoSreport 520 may be part of a larger RF band local QoS report includinginformation on several BTS system in a wireless neighborhood. Theoverall RF band local QoS report may be organized by wireless protocoltype in one example embodiment. In another example embodiment, anoverall neighborhood RF band local QoS report may be organized bywireless link rating or operational communication frequency band. Insome embodiments, the wireless neighborhood RF band local QoS report mayonly include one or a few top rated BTS systems for particular wirelesslink protocols. In other aspects, overall RF band local QoS report mayinclude one or more recommended BTS systems and associated radiochannels for the wireless neighborhood. It is understood that thewireless neighborhood RF band local QoS report may include individualsub report components similar to RF band local QoS report 510 and RFband local QoS report 510 including one or more radio frequencycommunication band, wireless link protocols, and organized according tousages, link ratings, QoS, load or a variety of other organizingprinciples.

FIG. 6 shows a context aware radio resource management system includinga concurrent wireless link optimization system. The context aware radioresource management system may operate to determine a list of optimizedwireless links based on a link rating system described in embodimentsherein. In an aspect, link rating may be applied to wireless linksassociated with BTS systems providing the wireless link. The contextaware radio resource management system link ratings may provide foroptimized wireless links for connection by a user wireless communicationdevice via a wireless network according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The context aware radio resource management system includinga concurrent wireless link optimization system may be implemented inconnection with an RF band local QoS advertising system to prepare a RFband local QoS report for broadcast to assist a mobile informationhandling system in selecting a network and technology within a wirelessnetwork for a given location.

In some example embodiments, a concurrent wireless link optimizationsystem may be used to eliminate wireless links (e.g., wireless linkpairs in concurrent operation) or to adjust down the ranking of wirelesslinks likely subject to high interference or collision for considerationby the context aware radio resource management system during selectingone or more optimal wireless links. The context aware radio resourcemanagement system including a concurrent wireless link optimizationsystem selects a plurality of wireless links for concurrent operation ona mobile information handling system wireless communication device whenconcurrent links are to be used.

Association of the wireless links may be made with BTS systems providingthose wireless links. Accordingly, the link ratings in view QoS andother factors described herein may also apply to BTS ratings. QoSinformation as well as weighted ratings involving cost, powerconsumption, usage, or other factors may also impact the rating of theBTS systems serving the wireless link rated by the context aware radioresource management system.

A wireless communication device in a wireless neighborhood in anembodiment may be a device having local wireless capability inunlicensed shared communication bands as well as carrier wirelesscapability on licensed wireless communication bands. The wirelesscommunication device in an embodiment may be a device with a pluralityof available wireless links including in a plurality of sharedcommunication frequency bands as described in embodiments herein. Thecontext aware radio resource management system may select wireless linksfrom protocols in unlicensed communication bands or may select one ormore wireless links in a licensed wireless communication band. In anexample case, a licensed WWAN wireless link may be available in tandemwith an unlicensed WWAN wireless link in a shared communicationfrequency band. In emerging 5G technology, the licensed WWAN wirelesslink may serve as an anchor link and have available supplementalbandwidth via an unlicensed WWAN wireless link. As described, thisunlicensed WWAN wireless link has low cost and potentially highavailability and QoS. Thus, BTS systems in unlicensed communicationbands may receive higher ratings if acceptable QoS levels are met. Theunlicensed WWAN wireless link may operate on a shared communicationfrequency band with other unlicensed wireless link protocols such asWLAN Wi-Fi. Similar additional concurrently operating wireless links maybe available to the wireless device in other shared communicationfrequency bands. Accordingly, a concurrent wireless link optimizationsystem may determine interference or collision risks from concurrentlyoperating wireless link protocols in the shared communication frequencybands.

In one example embodiment, the context aware radio resource managementsystem may determine a selection or list of optimized BTS wireless linkoptions in a wireless neighborhood before the concurrent wireless linkoptimization system portion will determine local interference betweenconcurrent wireless link pairs. Further, BTS level interference asbetween BTS systems of competing protocols in a wireless neighborhoodmay be assessed. In another example embodiment, the concurrent wirelesslink optimization system will determine interference between BTS systemsoperating concurrent wireless link pairs before assessing a list ofoptimized wireless link BTS systems for communication via the remainingoperation of the context aware radio resource management system. It canbe appreciated as well that determination of potential interference ofconcurrent wireless links at a user wireless communication device mayalso be assessed simultaneously with other factors of the context awareradio resource management system in affecting rankings of availablewireless links in the wireless neighborhood.

In a particular embodiment, the concurrent wireless link optimizationsystem may determine interference or same channel operation of competingprotocols, such as two or more WLAN or small cell WWAN protocols, in awireless neighborhood. The concurrent wireless link optimization systemof the context aware radio resource management system may furtherdetermine what to do about a determined high level of interference orpotential for collision. In one embodiment, the concurrent wireless linkoptimization system may opt to bar selection of same channel concurrentwireless link operation or adjacent channel concurrent wireless linkoperation from user wireless communication device. In the case of amobile information handling system having a broad set of wireless linkoptions, upon determination of a risk of interference or collision thecontext aware radio resource management system including a concurrentwireless link optimization system may select to shut down the sharedwireless link option select a wireless link alternative for the wirelesslink protocol having the greatest number of options in different radiofrequency bands. In the case of a mobile information handling systemhaving an anchor licensed WWAN link with a supplementary unlicensed WWANlink in the shared frequency band, the context aware radio resourcemanagement system including a concurrent wireless link optimizationsystem may select to shut down the unlicensed WWAN link option or othershared wireless link and default to the anchor licensed WWAN link forconcurrent operation with the WLAN wireless link. In other aspects, theconcurrent wireless link optimization system may opt to switch to adifferent channel given sufficiently good wireless quality and otherfactors for selecting a different channel in the shared frequency bandfor either the WLAN or an unlicensed WWAN links. In yet another aspect,the concurrent wireless link optimization system may allow same channelor adjacent channel concurrent wireless link operation but implementinterference or collision mitigation to reduce the effects ofanticipated interference.

As described, the context aware radio resource management system of thepresent disclosure may utilize crowdsourced feedback on QoS for wirelessnetwork connections or various links operating at identified BTS systemswithin the wireless neighborhood. FIG. 6 shows an example embodiment ofoperation of the context aware radio resource management systemincluding a concurrent wireless link optimization system in determiningan optimized list of available BTS systems serving wireless links. Anexample context aware radio resource management system is disclosed inseveral patent applications and issued patents of the same assignee.Additionally, factors and wireless network data relating to the contextaware radio resource management system may be utilized by the contextaware radio resource management system including a concurrent wirelesslink optimization system in providing end-to-end scores and selection ofpreferred wireless communication paths between a mobile informationhandling system and a recipient.

Selection of two or more optimized wireless links for concurrentoperation and connection to optimized BTS systems providing thosewireless links may be made automatically by the context aware radioresource management system including a concurrent wireless linkoptimization system in some embodiments. In an embodiment, the selectionby the context aware radio resource management system including aconcurrent wireless link optimization system may be made with anoverride option available to a user. In yet another embodiment, thecontext aware radio resource management system including a concurrentwireless link optimization system may present BTS wireless link qualityratings to an RF band local QoS advertising system in some embodiments.Alternatively, the context aware radio resource management systemincluding concurrent wireless link optimization may provide QoS data,cost data, power consumption data, and usage trend data to assist indetermining optimal BTS systems in a wireless neighborhood for acommunication type by a user mobile information handling system.

Several factors are assessed by the context aware radio resourcemanagement system including a concurrent wireless link optimizationsystem and its coordination with an RF band local QoS advertising systemin selecting BTS systems within various a radio technology protocols forpreparing a RF band local QoS report for BTS systems in a wirelessneighborhood. A software agent may be deployed at a wirelesscommunication device or elsewhere in the network for executing thecontext aware radio resource management system including a concurrentwireless link optimization system and aspects of the context aware radioresource management system.

The context aware radio resource management system including aconcurrent wireless link optimization system may further utilize thesoftware agent to access wireless communication device usage trend data610 in some aspects. The context aware radio resource management systemincluding a concurrent wireless link optimization system may detect andlearn patterns of usage by an individual user or recipient forparticular wireless communication types. In an example embodiment, apreference score may be assigned to each as a percentage of time spentutilizing a particular wireless communication type or as a percentage ofinstances of using a particular wireless communication type. This datamay be stored for a user or recipient in a wireless communication deviceusage trend database and shared across an enterprise or group via acontext aware radio resource management system including a concurrentwireless link optimization system manager in certain aspects. The shareddata may associate the wireless link at a BTS system with wirelessservice types and usage. In an example embodiment, wirelesscommunication device usage trend data for a BTS may be recorded and isshown below in Table 1 for various devices accessing a BTS system. Thedata may be relevant to a particular time of day during which wirelessaccess is sought.

TABLE 1 Communication Type User Device Usage Score SMS Text User A SmartPhone 20% Video conference User A Smart Phone  5% Voice call User ASmart Phone 30% IM User A Smart Phone 15% Web/App data User A SmartPhone 30% SMS Text User B Notebook  0% Video conference User B Notebook15% Voice call User B Notebook 10% IM User B Notebook 20% Web/App dataUser B Notebook 65% SMS Text User C Tablet  0% Voice call User C Tablet10% Video conference User C Tablet 20% IM User C Tablet 20% Web/App dataUser C Tablet 50%

It is understood that the wireless communication device usage trend datamay vary widely depending on data collection of a user's trends. Thewireless communication device usage trend data may begin with certaindefault levels and be adjusted over time as usage data is collected forwireless communication types. It is noted that in the above exampleembodiment the usage preference scores sum to 100% for each wirelesscommunication device type and user. The listing of data communicationtypes may be further granulated in some embodiments and the above is ageneralized example of user trend data gathered by data communicationtypes. For each communication type event, the time or number ofinstances of the communication type with a wireless communication deviceis divided into total time or number of instances of all communicationtypes for a user in the example embodiment. The above values are exampledata meant for the purposes of illustration and may relate to usage ofparticular BTS systems in a location. Further, this data may be specificto time of day or location and be available in spatial-temporal profilesof a user or of a mobile information handling system. Additionalcriteria may be implemented and may alter the scoring from adding to100% depending on the scoring system used in other embodiments as isunderstood by those of skill.

The usage preference score may serve as a weighting factor for usagerating that may impact which wireless link quality ratings are used todetermine an optimized list of BTS systems for providing wireless linksor wireless communication paths and selection of preferred BTS systemsfor wireless links. The usage preference score is associated with thewireless communication device and communication type within a wirelessneighborhood. An additional factor that may be added to the usagepreference score is cost. In an embodiment, use of technologies withextremely low cost link options such as unlicensed communication bandwireless links including Wi-Fi, small cell WWAN, or peer to peerprotocols such as Wi-Fi Direct or Bluetooth Peer-to-Peer as acommunication paths may increase usage preference scores due to lowcost. Cost may also be considered as part of the wider list ranking ofoptimized wireless links available for the wireless communicationdevices. Other example alterations to usage preference scores arecontemplated as well. These may shift the usage preference score of oneor more available wireless communication devices. The shift may be byany amount. In one example embodiment, the expressed preference mayshift the usage preference score for that wireless communication deviceby up to 50%. In another embodiment, a low cost option may shift a usagepreference score by a similar amount if the wireless link QoS issufficient. As understood, any shift in preference percentage orassigned weighting factor may be applied in the design of the contextaware radio resource management system in various embodiments.

In another example embodiment, the context aware radio resourcemanagement system software agent obtains other user profile data thatmay also be utilized by the context aware radio resource managementsystem including a concurrent wireless link optimization system that mayshift user preference scores for wireless communication devices. Suchuser profile data may be included with the wireless communication deviceusage trend data 610 and may be used in connection with the contextaware radio resource management system including a concurrent wirelesslink optimization system for tracking user trends for wirelesscommunication types. In an example embodiment, the user profile datafrom the context aware radio resource management system may establish anapproximate cyclostationary usage pattern of each wireless communicationdevice on a daily or weekly basis. The time of day, location, types ofusage, and usage percentages during a sample time interval are examplefactors included in the user profile data. This user profile data alsomay include a confidence of the estimate. This may be a statisticalmeasurement of a mean and standard deviation for a set of data.Alternatively, the confidence of estimate may involve a goodness of fitmetric to an expected set of values. Alternative statistical analysismay be performed on the user profile data to provide a confidence of theestimate. These cyclostationary usage patterns may used to shiftweighting the preference scores in view of anticipated usage of BTSsystems by wireless communication devices based on time of day andlocation or predicted location in a wireless neighborhood as described.The shifting of usage preference scores may be by any amount dependingon several factors. Cost, expressed preference for wireless link, andother factors may shift user profile data that contributes to deviceusage trend data and weighting of BTS link ratings.

The context aware radio resource management system including aconcurrent wireless link optimization system may also receive wirelesslink radio frequency traffic reports 620 and may be in accordance withtime and location data for a user or recipient and their associatedwireless communication devices. In an example embodiment, the wirelesslink radio frequency traffic reports 620 may be retrieved from thecontext aware radio resource management system. For location and time,available radio technologies and, where relevant, available serviceproviders may be listed for a wireless communication neighborhood. Thereports contain data relating to location, time and a radio frequencyprofile of given radio technologies for the available BTS systems in awireless neighborhood. Certain radio technologies, such as those subjectto concurrent wireless link operation, may be unlicensed and not requirea service provider such as in the case of Wi-Fi/WLAN, unlicensed smallcell WWAN, or similar wireless network connection options. Theseconcurrent wireless links operate in unlicensed, shared spectrum asdescribed and in some embodiments may be competing wireless linkprotocols in those shared spectrum. Small cell unlicensed WWAN wirelesslinks may have a tandem licensed WWAN wireless link via a carriercommunication bands in other example embodiments. For mobile informationhandling systems that are not standalone, carrier wireless linkcapabilities on licensed frequency bands may be available. For thesedevices, both licensed and unlicensed BTS wireless link options may beassessed. The context aware radio resource management system may providelink ratings, QoS data, usage data or other data to assist in providingrating for neighborhood BTS systems that are both licensed andunlicensed systems in various embodiments of the RF band local QoSadvertisements.

The radio frequency profile data may also include an associatedconfidence of estimate for link ratings or QoS scores. The wireless linkradio frequency profile may combine recent reports, historical trafficreports, as well as data measured via an active device radio frequencyscan. In an example embodiment, to minimize wireless communicationdevice battery power consumed, radio frequency broadband traffic reportsfrom the network may only be requested or sent when a service providernetwork or a wireless communication device detects a significant changein signal quality or the network broker server detects that the localcrowd source information is out of date.

The wireless link radio frequency traffic report for wireless linkspartially comprises a spatial-temporal radio frequency profile for thewireless links. The systems begins with a baseline report available froma context aware radio resource management system. The context awareradio resource management system may determine QoS metrics for variouswireless links from crowd sourced data received from a plurality ofwireless communication device operating within a wireless neighborhoodon various BTS associated links. Data may include several factors ofwireless QoS measured or sourced to the context aware radio resourcemanagement system.

Key performance indicators (KPI) comprise a spatial-temporal radiofrequency profile. Data such as received signal strength (RSSI),signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), or signal to interference ratios (SIR) maybe relevant channel quality indicators in a KPI matrix. Other data, mayinclude data throughput speeds, communication latencies, jitter, andpacket loss measurements. The context aware radio resource managementsystem may actively assess the quality of wireless links fromneighborhood BTS systems being used. One or more of these performanceindicators may be used to compute a link rating associated with a BTSwireless link. Baseline reports rely on estimated values. For exampleusing baseline estimated received signal strength indicators (RSSI), alink rating may be computed as follows in one embodiment:Link Rating(i,j)=MAX(MIN(100%,(Estimated RSSI−Minimum Signal)/Max RSSIsignal−Minimum RSSI signal,0%), where i is a technology index and j is awireless protocol index.

A maximum RSSI level may be defined in a technology protocol, forexample as −70 dBm. The minimum RSSI level may be defined as well, forexample at −110 dBm. RSSI is not the only key performance indicator thatmay be used to compute link ratings for BTS devices. Link rating may bebased on different key performance indicator values besides receivedsignal strength. Alternatively, multiple key performance indicatorvalues may be used in the computation of a link rating.

In other examples of KPIs that may be used for link rating, linkcapacity and bit error rates (BER) may be measured. Bit error rate isthe ratio of error bits to total bits sent across a wireless link. It isa metric illustrating a signal to noise ratio which can define thequality of a radio connection for a wireless link. A bit error rate maybe a comparison of a sent test stream of data by a transmitter with whatis received by a receiver. The bit error rate can be tested by a biterror rate tester in software which transmits a known bit pattern to orfrom the mobile information handling system. Pre-error correction errorsare counted. A signal-to-interference ratio may also be measured. Such ameasurement is based on the power levels for signal transmission (e.g.,per bit) relative to interference levels in the received signal. Packeterror rate, signal-to-noise measurement, or other signal quality testingis also contemplated. Data packets, such as test packets or active data,may be monitored as it is sent across wireless links to determine packetloss frequencies or resend occurrences for the packets.

A link rating matrix is established by available link protocols fromneighborhood BTS systems and may be broken down by wireless technology,service provider, or both. In an example embodiment, for a matrix of[WLAN 2, WLAN 3, Small Cell WWAN, WiGig, ATT 4G, Verizon 4G], thebaseline Link Rating (j) computation may result in (70%, 80%, 95%, 90%,50%, 50%). 100% indicates best signal link quality and 0% indicates asignal quality below a minimum acceptable level. The context aware radioresource management system may use the link rating scores to evaluatethe optimal wireless service providers and available protocols for theanticipated usages for a wireless link that comprises a portion of anend-to-end wireless communication path. Thus, the link rating protocolmatrix can assist in selecting both wireless link BTSs in a neighborhoodor a service provider with the best scores.

The context aware radio resource management system responding to arequest from a hub BTS system in a wireless neighborhood may scan forwireless link radio frequency traffic reports fitting a time andlocation zone for operation. In an example embodiment, the zone ofoperation may be the wireless neighborhood as described above or a rangeof wireless connectivity for the hub BTS system. Wireless link radiofrequency traffic reports may be retrieved from a central serverdatabase in the wireless networks. Alternatively they may be locatedelsewhere in a database such as at a network broker server system. Thebaseline report may be supplemented or superseded by any fresh orhistorical mobile traffic reports to assist in determining optimalwireless links. Recent or historic radio frequency profiles for timeperiod and location zone may be used to update or supplement thewireless link radio frequency traffic reports. For example, a hub BTSsystem may scan a wireless neighborhood for BTS systems and determinecurrent load conditions and report that information the context awareradio frequency management system. More recent data may be of greaterrelevance. For example, the link ratings in a radio frequency profilemay utilize recently measured RSSI values or load values instead ofestimated values from older historical performance.

Wireless link radio frequency traffic reports are aggregated via crowdsourcing. They may be categorized by location zone and have time anddate stamps to identify freshness. Crowd sourcing of information willenhance the availability of accurate data for location zones and timesof wireless communication device operation. For example, if a hub BTSsystem makes a request for a fresh wireless link radio frequency trafficreport, the central server database may have reports from other wirelesscommunication devices with recent timestamps. Alternatively, the centralserver database may make a request for a recent wireless link radiofrequency traffic report from wireless communication devices or BTSsystems in the same location. Whether via recent storage in the centraldatabase or via a recent request of fresh crowd sourced wireless linkradio frequency traffic reports, such a report may avoid the need forthe mobile wireless communication device entering a wirelessneighborhood to conduct a radio frequency scan itself.

Crowd sourcing wireless link radio frequency traffic reports forlocations and times provides a higher chance that a current wirelesslink radio frequency traffic report for a location is available. It alsoincreases the available data points providing greater certainty andreliability of data. Part of the benefit of crowd sourcing may alsoinvolve performing a hysteresis analysis on the data coming frommultiple wireless communication devices to determine trends in wirelesslink selection. When a wireless link on a BTS system is reported havinglow traffic and good radio frequency conditions, traffic from systemsusing the context aware radio resource management system will elect thatwireless link. If a large part of the crowd of wireless communicationdevices begins to pile onto whichever wireless link BTS is reported tohave the best available bandwidth, then that BTS system will slow downand underperform. The wireless link radio frequency traffic reportsaccount for this by conducting a hysteresis analysis. If a large numberof users begin to select this wireless link, then the method forgenerating wireless link radio frequency traffic reports accounts forthis traffic and alters the recommended wireless links. For example, asecond best option may be recommended as optimal for traffic and radiofrequency conditions instead. Each crowd sourced wireless link radiofrequency traffic report identifies its selected BTS system. A count ofthese selections can be compared to a threshold rate level of selectionsfor a given BTS wireless link. If the rate of selections exceeds thethreshold for a link, then the recommendation may be altered.

If there are not enough reliable historical wireless link radiofrequency traffic reports recent enough to base a wireless linkassessment upon, the context aware radio resource management system mayinitiate a wireless communication device radio frequency scan from awireless communication device operating in a wireless neighborhood. Thisscan collects data regarding possible wireless links. This radiofrequency scan consumes power and processor resources so should be usedsparingly, however it provides up-to-date key performance indicators(KPI) for a new radio frequency profile to be used in a wireless linkradio frequency traffic report. Based upon this new wireless link radiofrequency traffic report, the system provides a wireless linkperformance profile to be used by the context aware radio resourcemanagement system.

The scan or test of radio frequency links may be conducted by thecontext aware radio resource management system. As a first measure,received signal strength and bandwidth availability for a serviceprovider and a protocol are determined. Then a test of radio frequencydata capacity is made. This can test upload and download performance foreach service provider and protocol. For example, a standard test datavolume may be sent via a wireless link to a server location at theservice provider. Similarly, a test data volume may be received from aserver location by the wireless communication device via the wirelesslink. Latency of response, upload and download speed or throughput canthen be measured for the service provider and protocol. The data isassociated with a location zone and stamped with a time and date. Thetype of transmitter/receiver or wireless communication device may alsobe recorded. This data set provides a wireless link radio frequencyprofile that may become part of a wireless link radio frequency trafficreport. Upon measuring this data for a location, the report may beshared or published by the context aware radio resource managementsystem from the mobile information handling system.

In one embodiment, the wireless link assessment may be used by thecontext aware radio resource management system including a concurrentwireless link optimization system to determine a ranked list ofavailable BTS systems operating wireless communication links within awireless neighborhood. Further assessment may include determining aranked list of available wireless communication links for communicationalong a wireless communication path between two points across thewireless communication network, including various steps or hops acrosslinks within the wireless communication network. Using user profilereports and radio frequency link reports, each BTS or wirelesscommunication link may be given an overall rank.

For a ranking of wireless communication path end-to-end, several methodsmay be used to determine wireless communication path overall qualityscore. In one example embodiment, it may be assumed the wirelesscommunication path is only as good as the lowest link rating score alongthat path. Thus, the wireless communication path rating may bedetermined as the same as the minimum link rating in the communicationpath. In another embodiment, the wireless communication path rating maytake into account the diminished quality of each wireless link in thecommunication path that is rated at less than 100%, or a perfect ratingfor a link. Thus a calculation whereby the effect of each wireless linkrating less than 100% determines some diminishment on the overallwireless communication path rating. In an example embodiment, thewireless communication path rating may be determined as a product of awireless link rating of the connecting link for the user wirelesscommunication device with the wireless link rating of the connectinglink for the recipient wireless communication device as follows:Wireless Communication Path Rating(j)=(Link Rating for Link fromWireless Device A*Link Rating for Link from Wireless Device B), wherej=communication path index.

For a wireless communication path=[AT&T® 3G for Device A, Verizon 4G forDevice B], an example user Wireless Communication Path Rating (j)calculation may result as follows, (90%*70%)=63%. Each wirelesscommunication path for a user wireless communication device and arecipient can be ranked by this score. Each Link Rating used todetermine the Wireless Communication Path Rating shows a quality ofservice score by protocol for a BTS system along a wireless link at alocation and time. For a given communication path, the WirelessCommunication Path Rating may serve as an initial end-to-end qualityrating upon which selection of a wireless communication path may bemade. The Wireless Communication Path Rating may also include additionalwireless links and Link Ratings for those links along the path.Additional weighting factors may apply to the initial end-to-end qualityrating to yield modified end-to-end ratings for wireless communicationlinks for selection of wireless communication paths and user andrecipient wireless communication devices. This is described furtherbelow. The above values serve only as an example for purposes ofdiscussion.

In another aspect, energy link reports 640 may be received as avariation of the wireless link radio frequency broadband traffic reports620. These energy link reports 640 contain data relating to time,location and radio frequency profile information similar to the radiofrequency broadband traffic reports. In addition, measurements of energyconsumed during use of a specified wireless link from a BTS for aspecified wireless service type is reported. The energy link dataprofile matrix can provide more detailed information above the mobilebroadband radio frequency traffic reports. In this embodiment, thecontext aware radio resource management system prepares and delivers anenergy link consumption report. The energy link consumption reportprovides data on power consumed by a wireless communication device whileperforming certain tasks on a wireless link from a BTS at a location.Energy link consumption reports contain data indicating how many joulesof energy are consumed during sending SMTP emails, sending SMS messages,conducting voice communications, video conferencing, IM, accessinginternet services, streaming audio or video, or other uses of mobileinformation handling systems. This data amounts to another keyperformance indicator (KPI) in addition to capacity or link quality datafor a wireless link. The context aware radio resource management systemcan measure and utilize some or all data such as link capacity, linkquality, and energy consumption in determining preferred BTS wirelesslinks. Link ratings may be calculated similarly to the above descriptionusing the additional link energy consumption data. As with other inputfactors, a confidence of estimate associated with this data may beincluded. The energy link report data 640 may combine recent energy linkprofiles, historical energy link reports, and measurements throughwireless communication device scans during operation.

The context aware radio resource management system including aconcurrent wireless link optimization system may access battery powerlevel data 630 for user wireless communication devices. In an exampleembodiment, the context aware radio resource management system includinga concurrent wireless link optimization system may access the batterypower level data 630 via the context aware radio resource managementsystem which receives battery power level data from an intelligentbattery management system of the wireless communication devices in thesystem. The battery power level input may establish thresholds forcertain wireless communication protocols as being too costly in terms ofpower based on the remaining battery power available. Below a definedbattery level threshold, the context aware radio resource managementsystem may disable the most advanced protocols to save energy. Forexample, with only 10% battery power remaining, the context aware systemmay recommend to a user to disable high power consuming protocols suchas 4G or 5G. The option may be given to the user, or automatic shut downof the radio frequency subsystem may take place. In a further example,the context aware system may recommend or shut down 3.5G at 5% remainingbattery power. Any threshold levels may be set to trigger recommendedshut down. In such a shut down, that wireless link rating will be at 0%or disconnected and impact the communication path overall ratings andthe wireless communication device rating by the context aware radioresource management system including a concurrent wireless linkoptimization system of the present disclosure.

The context aware radio resource management system including aconcurrent wireless link optimization system accesses the wirelesscommunication device usage trend data 610 and receives the wireless linkradio frequency broadband traffic reports 620, battery power level data630, and in some energy link reports 640.

Turning to 650, the context aware radio resource management systemincluding a concurrent wireless link optimization system determineswireless communication link scores for available wireless links withinthe wireless neighborhood. In some embodiments, end-to-end scores foravailable wireless communication paths between available user wirelesscommunication devices and available recipient wireless communicationdevices are generated at 650. The context aware radio resourcemanagement system may provide link ratings for wireless links associatedwith BTS systems in a wireless neighborhood to the RF load local QoSadvertisement system in some embodiments. The context aware radioresource management system including a concurrent wireless linkoptimization system may determine a list of ranked wireless linksavailable within a wireless neighborhood in some embodiments. In otherembodiments, the context aware radio resource management systemincluding a concurrent wireless link optimization system may establish aplurality of available wireless links that meet a minimum sufficientlevel of criteria of QoS, power consumption, cost, or other factors inview of contextual usage of the wireless communication device.

The above data and inputs may be assessed by the context aware radioresource management system including a concurrent wireless linkoptimization system determine one or more optimized wirelesscommunication links and link ratings an RF load local QoS advertisementsystem at a hub BTS at 650. The RF load local QoS advertisement systemmay then broadcast RF load local QoS reports to mobile informationhandling systems in a wireless neighborhood. In an example embodiment,one or more optimized wireless links may be determined at a location ineither one or more unlicensed communication frequency bands, licensedcommunication frequency bands, or a combination of both. In a furtheraspect, a plurality of wireless link options are determined forconcurrent operation to enable greater communication bandwidth andreliability for mobile information handling systems capable ofconcurrent wireless link operation. In some embodiments, the pluralityof optimized wireless links best suited for a data usage may result inone or more operating wireless links from an unlicensed, sharedcommunication frequency band. With respect to the cost factor inparticular, an unlicensed, shared communication frequency band selectionmay result from the analysis of the context aware radio resourcemanagement system. Further, WLAN and small cell WWAN wireless links inunlicensed bands, for example, may be available and have good wirelessQoS due to proximity and availability of a local wireless neighborhoodin some aspects of the present embodiments. The RF load local QoSadvertisement system may provide for broadcast assessment of thesecompeting protocols from a shared communication band available in thewireless neighborhood. Such an advertisement of RF load local QoSreports for these competing wireless protocols may reduce processing orcommunications needed by a mobile information handling system entering awireless neighborhood during selection of a wireless link.

In one aspect, the above data and inputs may be assessed by the contextaware radio resource management system including a concurrent wirelesslink optimization system determine one or more preferred wirelesscommunication end-to-end paths for a user wireless communication deviceat 650. In an example embodiment, the end-to-end rating for wirelesscommunication paths begins by selection of a user wireless communicationdevice (Device A) and a recipient wireless communication device (DeviceB). This end-to-end rating may include use of a plurality of concurrentwireless links.

In determining optimal wireless links, scanning assessment may be madeof available wireless communication options for communication betweenDevice A and Device B. If a low cost connection such as Bluetooth Peerto Peer, WLAN, Small Cell WWAN, or Wi-Fi Direct options are availableand have sufficient capacity and signal quality, such a selection may bemade. However, such wireless connections may also be included in thecontext aware radio resource management system including a concurrentwireless link optimization system assessment of all end-to-endcommunication paths with multiple wireless path links. Assessment ofcommunication paths between user wireless communication device (DeviceA) and a recipient wireless communication device (Device B) will includeadditional available network path options on various communicationtechnologies and may include concurrently operating wireless links foruse in shared communication frequency bands. The context aware radioresource management system including a concurrent wireless linkoptimization system estimates an end-to-end link quality score for eachwireless connection path between Device A and Device B as describedabove. In an example embodiment, the context aware radio resourcemanagement system including a concurrent wireless link optimizationsystem may access the context aware radio resource management system todetermine the wireless Link Ratings from Device A to an availablenetwork and Link Ratings from a back-end wireless network to Device B.Link Ratings may also be determined for any number of intermediate hopsor links along the wireless communication path being assessed. LinkRatings may further be assessed for the wireless links for connecting toa mobile information handling system on one side of the communicationpath such as just for Device A. The Link Ratings may be determined fromwireless link radio frequency broadband traffic reports 620 as discussedabove. An end-to-end quality score is estimated from the above LinkRatings for one or more alternative service providers and technologiesfor wireless communication paths between Device A and Device B.Additionally, the end-to-end quality scores for wireless communicationpaths are similarly estimated between one or more user wirelesscommunication devices and one or more recipient wireless communicationdevices. An aggregation of end-to-end quality scores involving a userwireless communication device may indicate an initial assessment of apreferred user wireless communication device before usage trends forcommunication types are assessed. For example, the Link Rating forwireless link connection between Device A and a wireless networktechnology may be combined with the Link Rating for the connectionbetween Device B and the same or different wireless technology that formthe end-to-end wireless communication path between Device A and DeviceB. For wireless communication paths with multiple wireless hops orlinks, the product of the plurality of the Link Ratings may be used toarrive at an initial end-to-end quality score for the end-to-endwireless communication path. In another embodiment, the lowest LinkRating of among the wireless links in the end-to-end wirelesscommunication path may be adopted as the end-to-end quality score. It isunderstood that the wireless communication path may span across multipleservice providers or wireless technologies.

Similarly, preferred recipient wireless communication devices may beinitially assessed as preferred based on estimated end-to-end qualityscores associated with that wireless communication device. As isdiscussed further, the initial end-to-end estimated quality scores aremodified by battery power data and by user preference data to yieldfinal end-to-end ratings. Other modifications to end-to-end ratings mayalso be implemented. The context aware radio resource management systemincluding a concurrent wireless link optimization system may present anadvisory graphical user interface including final end-to-end qualityratings to provide a user an informed choice of optimal wirelesscommunication devices and an optimal wireless communication path forcommunication via a communication type between a user and a recipient asexplained. The end-to-end quality ratings may include the finalend-to-end scores or scores for individual wireless devices. In otherembodiments, the advisory graphical user interface including end-to-endquality ratings may include a more qualitative rating for wirelessdevices, providers, or technologies for wireless communication pathsbetween a user and a recipient. In an example embodiment, an end-to-endquality rating such as “good,” “better,” or “best” may be used. Eachqualitative end-to-end rating may be assigned a end-to-end quality scorerange in an example implementation. It is understood that otherqualitative indicators are also contemplated for use with the anadvisory graphical user interface including final end-to-end qualityratings.

In an example embodiment, battery power levels 630 for wirelesscommunication devices may be applied to initial end-to-end qualityestimations to yield updated end-to-end quality rating for wirelesscommunication paths. Such a battery power level may be applied as amultiplier weighting factor to the initial end-to-end qualityestimations. In an embodiment, the new adjusted end-to-end score=Initialend-to-end quality estimation*Power weight score (Device A)*Power weightscore (Device B). The power weighting score is assigned as a percentage.For example, above a threshold battery power level for a device (e.g.,40%), the power weight score may be set at 100%. Below the thresholdbattery power level, the power weight score decreases to 0% for a devicepower level at a second lower threshold power level (e.g., 5%). It isunderstood that any threshold levels may be used in establishing thepower weighting score index with reported battery power levels for thewireless communication device. In a further example, the power weightscore of 100% may be assigned for device power levels above 50% batterycapacity remaining. The power weight score index line may linearly drop100% to zero for device power levels between 50% and 10%. It isunderstood that any power weight score index curve relating to thedevice power level may be applied. Further, for a wireless communicationpath involving multiple hops and devices, a power weight score may beapplied for each device along the wireless communication path ifapplicable. The above power weighting may also be applied only to eachsingle wireless link option for connection by a mobile informationhandling system. If mobile information handling system is Device A forexample, power weighted link rating may new adjusted wireless linkrating score=Initial wireless link rating score*Power weight score(Device A). This rating may be assessed on a link by link basis foravailable wireless links for a mobile information handling system suchas Device A.

In yet another embodiment, the battery power levels and user preferencescores may be applied to alter the initial end-to-end quality estimationscores. In an example embodiment, the new adjusted end-to-endscore=Initial end-to-end quality estimation*Preference score (Device A,Communication type, Cost)*Power weight score (Device A)*Preference score(Device A, Communication type, Cost)*Power weight score (Device B). Fora single link rating this may be applied as new adjusted wireless linkrating score=Initial wireless link rating*Preference score (Device A,Communication type, Cost)*Power weight score (Device A). Such anadjusted link rating may be applied for each available wireless link toa single mobile information handling system in example embodiments.

The assessments described above for end-to-end quality estimation scoresmay be applied on one side only, for example for Device A or Device Bonly, to determine link ratings for those devices on one side only insome embodiments as described above. It is understood that the wirelesslink rating assessments with respect to only one device, such as DeviceA, may yield a list of wireless link ratings for that mobile informationhandling system according to embodiments herein. In some aspects, datafor a recipient wireless communication device, such as Device B, may notbe relevant if data is accessed on a server or other hardwired networkdevice or such data may not be available for a recipient device. Inother aspects, implementation of assessment of the entire end-to-endpath including the recipient device may not be desired. In such exampleembodiments, assessment may be made according to the above examples fora single mobile information handling system to rate wireless linksavailable to that mobile information handling system and may omit theend-to-end aspects of the above weighting. For example, the weightingfactors discussed above may only be applied to wireless linksinterfacing with Device A and not applied to the end-to-endcommunication paths in some example embodiments. It is understood thatwireless links with a neighborhood BTS may be what is useful to a mobileinformation handling system first entering a wireless neighborhoodrather than anticipation of end-to-end path determination according tosome embodiments. For example, broadcasts according to RF load local QoSadvertisement system may not consider end-to-end links ratings whenbroadcasting data about BTS systems in the nearby wireless neighborhood.

Proceeding to 655, the context aware radio resource management systemincluding a concurrent wireless link optimization system will assess theavailable optimized wireless link options for local interference. In anembodiment, the wireless communication device may concurrently operatetwo or more wireless links to increase bandwidth or for additionalwireless link availability. As described herein, that concurrentoperation of two or more wireless links may arise in sharedradiofrequency communication bands in some embodiments. For example,concurrent wireless links may operate in the unlicensed U-NII band whichmay be shared by WLAN/Wi-Fi and emerging 5G small cell WWAN systems. Inother example embodiments, a shared communication frequency band mayaccommodate several LPWAN protocols as in embodiments herein. Withcompeting wireless link protocols operating concurrently on sharedcommunication frequency bands, interference may arise due to BTStransceivers operating on the same channels or adjacent channels withinthese shared communication frequency bands. For example, wirelessneighborhoods such as depicted in FIG. 3 may be set up withoutparticular determination of channels that each BTS transceiver operateson. Thus, a wireless communication device communicating concurrentlywith multiple transceivers, from a shared antenna in some embodiments,may encounter interference from operating on adjacent channels or eventhe same channel within the shared communication frequency band. Thecontext aware radio resource management system includes a concurrentwireless link optimization system to determine if available wirelesslink pairs may be such that they would concurrently operate on adjacentor even the same channel in a shared communication band. The concurrentwireless link optimization system will receive data relating toneighborhood BTS lists for various available concurrent wireless links.If BTS systems in a wireless link neighborhood from competing wirelesslink protocols operate on a same channel or adjacent channel, the RFload local QoS advertisement system may advertise aspects of whethersuch BTS systems may cause interference to mobile information handlingsystems attempting to operate on competing protocols concurrently in anexample embodiment.

Based on the channels occupied by potential wireless links pairs, anassessment may be made of collision or interference potential. Theinterference may be based on modeled interference from adjacent channeloperation or may be measured by the concurrent wireless linkoptimization system through the network interface subsystem. In responseto determination of potential significant interference or risk ofcollision, some concurrent wireless link pairs may be eliminated fromconsideration among a list of ranked wireless links available within awireless neighborhood in some embodiments that meet a minimum sufficientlevel of criteria of QoS, power consumption, cost, or other factors inview of contextual usage of the wireless communication device. In otherembodiments, the concurrent wireless link optimization system may impactthe ranking of potential concurrent wireless pairs from the determinedrisk of collision risk or interference due to concurrent operation at awireless communication device.

In some aspects, which may be encountered within the context of awireless communication device that has both licensed and unlicensedwireless communication options, the context aware radio resourcemanagement system may determine to not concurrently operate transceiversin the shared communication frequency band, for example, to entirelyavoid data collision. For example, the mobile information handlingsystem switch off an unlicensed WWAN wireless link option and leave onlyan anchor WWAN wireless link option via a service provider. In such asituation, that risk of collision or significant interference may resultin an election not to operate concurrent wireless links in the sharedcommunication band or to prohibit selection of a pair of concurrentwireless links that operate on the same channel.

As yet another aspect, the concurrent wireless link optimization systemmay deploy interference or collision mitigation to minimize or avoidpotential collision or interference for a selected pair of wirelesslinks. For example, interference mitigation may include applyingadaptive band-pass filtering or data transceiver scheduling forconcurrently operating pairs of wireless links that may operate on thesame or adjacent channels in the same frequency band if such wirelesslink pairs are to be selected for concurrent operation.

Other aspects of interference may be assessed as well at 655. Inaddition to interference at a mobile information handling system due toconcurrent wireless links operating there, interference may beexperienced at BTSs in the wireless neighborhood. Interference at theBTSs includes interference from other APs and small cell transceiversubstations. BTS interference may occur due to deployment of severalprotocols within a shared communication frequency band. BTS interferencemay further depend in part on proximity of BTS devices transmittingwithin a shared communication frequency band. Assessment of thisinterference may be determined or modeled and impact the selection ofconcurrent wireless links operating if operating within a sharedcommunication frequency band. In an example embodiment, total risk ofinterference or collisions due to concurrently operating wireless linksmay be assessed at the mobile information handling system as well as atthe selected BTSs at 655 to determine or optimize concurrent wirelesslinks. Such interference may be reported by a hub BTS system via the RFload local QoS advertisement system.

At 660, the context aware radio resource management system including aconcurrent wireless link optimization system may select one or morepreferred wireless communication links or paths based on comparison ofthe optimized wireless link rating scores including adjustments made dueto the interference or collision assessment made via the concurrentwireless link optimization system. The context aware radio resourcemanagement system including a concurrent wireless link optimizationsystem assesses usage trends, interference of concurrently operatingprotocols on shared communication frequency bands, RF traffic reports,battery power levels, energy link reports, and additional factors, suchas subscriber cost of wireless link usage, to establish wireless link orend-to-end wireless path ratings. As with other factors, subscriber costor settings may influence the determination by weighting protocoloptions and influence the scoring described above. In an exampleembodiment, it may be used as a multiplier or other weighting factor indetermining end-to-end ratings or scores for wireless communicationpaths. Alternatively, settings or subscriber cost may be used to maskout protocol options altogether. For example, cost or battery energypower levels may mask out protocol options or wireless communicationdevices in some embodiments. Due to these factors of cost as well aspower consumption, it may arise that a plurality of wireless links maybe selected from the available WLAN and small-cell WWAN options in awireless neighborhood. In some embodiments, these WLAN and small cellWWAN links are often available at no cost, and their close proximityyields lower connection requirements and transmission power costs. Basedon one or more of the above-outlined aspects, the context aware radioresource management system including a concurrent wireless linkoptimization system selects a plurality of available wireless linkswhile avoiding local interference or implementing interferencemitigation due to operation on same or adjacent channels within theunlicensed, shared radiofrequency communication bands used with WLAN andWWAN. These selected wireless links are associated with their respectiveBTS systems in the wireless neighborhood. Upon combination with locallyassessed BTS system data in a wireless neighborhood by the RF load localQoS advertisement system, a recommendation of wireless links may bemade. The RF load local QoS reports may reflect recommended BTS wirelesslinks advertised to newly arriving mobile information handling systems

At 670, the context aware radio resource management system including aconcurrent wireless link optimization system may utilize a softwareagent operating at a mobile information handling system to initiatecommunication of the selected communication type on a selected wirelesslink or on concurrent wireless links. In some aspects, the context awareradio resource management system agent operating at the mobileinformation handling system may conduct additional link ratingassessments, such as for anticipated usages by the mobile informationhandling system to determine a wireless link or concurrent wirelesslinks. For example, types of communication may be commenced along apreferred wireless communication path between a user wirelesscommunication device and a recipient wireless communication device in anembodiment of the present disclosure. In doing so, preferences ofwireless communication device based on usage trends for a wirelesscommunication type are taken into account in selecting one or morewireless links to conduct the communication. This is done in accordancewith determining the preferred wireless communication links whileminimizing interference or collision risk during concurrent operation bythe user wireless communication device.

The request is made for access to the selected network to establish thewireless communication link. In some embodiments, the mobile informationhandling system operating concurrent wireless links may establishconnection to each of a selection of unlicensed wireless links in ashared communication frequency band. For example, connection may be madewith a WLAN AP and with a small cell WWAN substation including exchangeof any necessary access information. In another embodiment, the radiofrequency subsystems of a wireless adapter may contain individualsubscriber identity module (SIM) profiles for each technology serviceprovider and their available protocols as well as a wireless accesssystem for WLAN and similar wireless connections for any wireless linksthat are subscriber specific. The radio frequency subsystems may have anapplication processor or controller for the wireless adapter capable ofswitching between SIM profiles or WLAN or similar wireless networkconnections at the wireless communication device. Thus, a wireless linkrecommendation from a context aware radio resource management systemincluding a concurrent wireless link optimization system and a contextaware radio resource management system would not need to be transmittedto network broker server system, but may be selected with a SIM profilefor a recommended service provider and protocol and seek direct access.Alternatively it could be submitted to a network broker server systemssuch as an MVNO. Nonetheless, billing and other coordination of SIMprofile options may be managed by a broker such as an MVNO. The contextaware radio resource management system including a concurrent wirelesslink optimization system and context aware radio resource managementsystem is described further below.

FIG. 7 illustrates a method for determining RF band local QoS report foradvertisement to a wireless neighborhood according to an embodiment. Inthis example embodiment, one or more wireless links may be available toa user in a wireless neighborhood as described above. A mobileinformation handling system entering a wireless neighborhood may have asubstantial selection of wireless links available. Some of thosewireless links may be competing wireless link protocols operating onshared communication frequency bands. Additionally, a mobile wirelesscommunication device entering a wireless neighborhood may utilize aplurality of wireless links for concurrent data communication. In oneexample embodiment, a mobile wireless communication device mayconcurrently select two wireless links on a shared radiofrequencycommunication band. For example, a mobile wireless communication devicemay utilize WLAN and an unlicensed small cell WWAN wireless link withinthe shared, wireless communication band. In another example embodiment,a plurality of LPWAN wireless links operating on the mobile informationhandling system in separate protocols may utilize the shared, wirelesscommunication band.

A hub BTS may operate an RF band local QoS advertisement system withaccess to a centralized context aware radio resource management systemaccording to embodiments herein. The RF band local QoS advertisementsystem may provide one or more RF band local QoS reports for availableradio frequency bands in the wireless neighborhood to be broadcast tomobile information handling systems entering and seeking wireless linkaccess to BTS systems in the wireless neighborhood.

The method of FIG. 7 may be executed via code instructions for the RFband local QoS advertisement system on one or more processors orcontrollers at a hub BTS systems or remotely situated and incommunication with one or more hub BTS systems. Further, the RF bandlocal QoS advertisement system may be in communication with a contextaware radio resource management system including a concurrent wirelesslink optimization system on one or more processors or controllerslocated remotely at a server system or even at a mobile informationhandling system in whole or in part. It is understood that each of thefollowing steps may be performed by the RF band local QoS advertisementsystem, by the context aware radio resource management system at the hubBTS system, at a mobile wireless communication device, or at a remotelocation in whole or in part, or some combination of the same. Forpurposes of the presently described embodiment, examples of the elementsof the RF band local QoS advertisement system and the context awareradio resource management system may be described as operating via oneor more hub BTS systems for explanation purposes.

At 705, the RF band local QoS advertisement system may scan an RFcommunication band, such as a shared communication band in a wirelessneighborhood of the hub BTS. A scanning modem system of the hub BTS mayoperate to scan channels within at least one communication frequencyband and for a protocol in which the hub BTS system may operate as atransceiver. In some embodiments, the hub BTS system may have RF frontend circuitry and capability to scan in a plurality of radio frequencybands. In other embodiments, the hub BTS system and the RF band localQoS advertisement system may access hub BTS systems operating onwireless protocols to scan a communication frequency band for BTSsystems operating that competing wireless link protocol. In furtherembodiments, the hub BTS system and the RF band local QoS advertisementsystem may access additional hub BTS systems operating in otheravailable communication frequency bands to scan those othercommunication frequency bands for BTS systems in the wirelessneighborhood.

Proceeding to 710, the RF band local QoS advertisement system may directa scanning modem of the hub BTS system to select a channel within thescanned communication frequency band to listen for ongoing wireless linkoperation on that channel.

At 715, the RF band local QoS advertisement system will gatherinformation about BTS systems operating on that channel within range ofthe wireless adapter of the hub BTS system conducting the scanning.Information may be gathered for each of the BTS systems operating onthat channel by the RF band local QoS advertisement system. Identifyinginformation may be gathered from the in-range BTS systems including BTSname, SSID or other identifiers. Further, each BTS on a channel may beassociated with a wireless link radio protocol technology such as WLAN,small cell WWAN, LPWAN or the like. The operating communicationfrequency band may be identified along with the operating channel andthe channel size being utilized by each BTS system on that channelwithin the wireless neighborhood. Information may further be determinedfor BTS systems detected on a channel relating to the security typerequired for access to a BTS system on the channel.

In an additional embodiment, location information for each BTS systemdetected on the scanned channel may be determined. The location may bedetermined via a number of methods understood by those of skill in theart and reported. For example, a global positioning system (GPS) maydetermine a longitude and latitude reading for the BTS systems in thewireless neighborhood as understood by those of skill in the art. GPSmay be available as a feature of the BTS systems or may be a softwareapplication operating on the BTS systems. Additional location techniquesmay be network based via multilateration such as via interpolation ofsignals between base station signal antennas such as APs or signaltowers for either small cell applications or wider applications in someembodiments. An example may be triangulation via advanced forward linktrilateration. Another example is utilization of Wi-Fi positioningsystem (WPS) for an AP system within a wireless neighborhood in otherembodiments. WPS may utilize RSSI and fingerprinting via APs to locaterelative position of APs within the wireless neighborhood. BTS locationsystems determining signal strengths or cell location or an EnhancedObserved Time Difference (E-OTD) system may be used in yet otherembodiments. Other characteristics of the BTS systems detected on achannel may be determined as well during the scan of the channel by theRF band local QoS advertisement system as understood.

At 720, during the scanning of the channel in the wireless neighborhoodof the hub BTS system, the RF band local QoS advertisement system maydetect asset channel utilization by each detected BTS system operationon the channel within the neighborhood. In one embodiment, assessingactivity on the channel by the neighborhood BTS systems over a period oftime may provide a reading of BTS load occupancy for each BTS systemoperating on a wireless link in the channel. To conduct a measure of BTSload occupancy, the RF band local QoS advertisement system scanningfunction will listen to a channel over the period of time. The RF bandlocal QoS advertisement system will record a percentage of time thechannel is above the energy detected (ED) level during that listeningperiod. The ED level can be set to a static value in some embodimentssuch as −72 dBm or set dynamically based on statistics for radiointerference levels. In any event, the ED level is set to be above anoise floor level of the BTS system to detect activity on the channel.In an aspect, the RF band local QoS advertisement system may alsodetermine which identified BTS systems are operating during thelistening period to associate the load determinations with theneighborhood BTS systems. In such an embodiment, a local load may beestablished for BTS systems in the wireless neighborhood by the RF bandlocal QoS advertisement system.

In another embodiment, some wireless protocols provide for a reportingsystem to make available active load reading 725 for BTS systemsoperating within the wireless link protocol. For example, Wi-Fi systemsin a WLAN may report BSS load under 802.11 determinations from a Wi-FiBTS system such as an AP. This BSS load data may be accessed from acentral data base or from the BTS system itself in various embodiments.In yet another embodiment, load reporting may be received by a contextaware radio resource management system crowd sourced in accordance withembodiments herein. BTS load may be accessed by the RF band local QoSadvertisement system from one or more sources such as those describedabove to determine load activity on BTS systems operating on thechannel.

Proceeding to 730, the system may determine if additional channels inthe scanned communication frequency protocol are to be assessed. If so,flow may return to 710 to select another channel within the scannedcommunication frequency band. The process may then proceed as describedabove. If not, flow may proceed to 735.

At 735, in some aspects, the hub BTS system may have scanningcapabilities within several communication frequency bands in thewireless neighborhood. In one example embodiment, if such capabilitiesare available, the RF band local QoS advertisement system will determineif another communication frequency band should be scanned. If so, flowwill return to 705 to select another communication frequency band andselect a channel within the scanned communication frequency band. Theprocess may then proceed as described above for the new communicationfrequency band.

In some embodiments, the hub BTS operating the RF band local QoSadvertisement system may issue a request from an auxiliary hub BTSoperating within the wireless neighborhood to scan a radio communicationband under one or more protocols unavailable to the hub BTS system. Arequest to report that BTS scan data back to the RF band local QoSadvertisement system. Scanning at the auxiliary hub BTS systems withinthe wireless neighborhood may be conducted in accordance with theaspects described above in embodiments herein.

If no additional communication frequency bands may be scanned at the hubBTS system, then flow proceeds to 740. At 740, the RF band local QoSadvertisement system may receive BTS asset channel utilization for BTSsystems operating in a second wireless link protocol on a sharedcommunication frequency band. In other aspects, additional BTS assetchannel utilization data for BTS systems operating in additionalwireless link protocols or on a plurality of other communicationfrequency bands in the wireless neighborhood may be received at 740. Forexample, BTS asset channel utilization may be received pursuant to ascan request to one or more auxiliary hub BTS systems in the wirelessneighborhood. In other embodiments, BTS asset utilization including BTSload data may be reported to a centralized location such as acentralized context aware radio resource management system data basewithin wireless intelligence traffic reporting. The scanned and receivedBTS asset utilization data for one or more communication frequency bandsand a plurality of wireless link protocols enables a RF band local QoSreport of varying degrees of comprehensiveness to be assembled by the RFband local QoS advertisement system.

Proceeding to 745, the RF band local QoS advertisement system willprepare an RF band local QoS report for each communication frequencyband. In a particular aspect, competing protocols operating in a sharedcommunication frequency band may not have BTS operational informationacross both protocols available for the wireless neighborhood to anincoming mobile information handling system. Channel selection in ashared communication frequency band may be otherwise complicated by theco-location of competing wireless link protocols in the wirelessneighborhood. As described in various embodiments above, the RF bandlocal QoS advertisement system may prepare an RF band local QoS reportorganized in a variety of ways and may include information derived fromscanning conducted within the wireless neighborhood as well as data andlink ratings accessed via communication with a context aware radioresource management system in some embodiments.

At 750, the RF band local QoS advertisement system will broadcast the RFband local QoS report on an unlicensed wireless channel for free accessby mobile information handling devices entering a wireless neighborhood.In one example embodiment, a wireless broadcast channel, such as achannel reserved under I.E.E.E. 802.11 Wi-Fi standards may be used tobroadcast the RF band local QoS reports by the hub BTS system on anunlicensed band. In an example embodiment, an unlicensed band at 2.4 GHzmay be used to broadcast the RF band local QoS reports due to goodwireless propagation range. An entering mobile information handlingsystem may receive the RF band local QoS reports via the broadcastchannel on the unlicensed band without entering a required link accessroutine or requiring authorization to access the broadcast channel.Received data from the RF band local QoS advertisement system may beused to reduce computational or scanning burden on the mobileinformation handling system during selection of one or more BTS systemsand respective wireless links among several available options for datacommunications.

In an example embodiment, the RF band local QoS advertisement system maybroadcast the RF band local QoS reports periodically to potential mobileinformation handling systems entering a wireless neighborhood. Theperiodic broadcast may take place with relative frequency to ensurenewly arriving mobile information handling systems to a wirelessneighborhood may have broadcast data readily available for the BTSsystem options operating in the wireless neighborhood. In one exampleembodiment, broadcast by the RF band local QoS advertisement system mayoccur at a periodic rate of every second or less. For example, abroadcast every second or ever half second may be desirable. In otherembodiment settings, broadcast of the RF band local QoS reports mayoccur less frequently such as every 30 seconds or every minute sincechanges in the number of arriving mobile information handling systems toa neighborhood may not be very substantial. In another embodiment,broadcast frequency of the RF band local QoS advertisement system maychange over the course of a day whereby frequency of broadcast may bereduced during off peak hours such as at night and increased duringdaytime hours. Many variations on the frequency of broadcast arecontemplated.

In another embodiment, the RF band local QoS advertisement system mayutilize a beacon system at 750 to indicate to mobile informationhandling systems that RF band local QoS reports are available viaunlicensed communication. For example, a generic advertising services(GAS) system may operate under I.E.E.E. 802.11u to provide for a beaconindicating network services behind a BTS such as a Wi-Fi AP. A vendorspecific option may indicate within this GAS beacon that a RF band localQoS report is available for one or more wireless link protocols. Noauthorization would be needed to access such a beacon. Upon receivinginformation that the RF band local QoS reports are available to it, amobile information handling system may probe under GAS to receive the RFband local QoS reports. Such a GAS based broadcast is described furtherin embodiments herein. Other variations on broadcasting the RF bandlocal QoS reports to mobile information handling systems in a wirelessneighborhood are contemplated as well including via use of LPWAN linksor ISM protocols.

At 755, the RF band local QoS advertisement system may transmit datagathered for the RF band local QoS reports to the centralized contextaware radio resource management system. Such data may be included inradio frequency profile data such as that stored with wirelessintelligence and traffic report data for the location of the wirelessneighborhood.

Proceeding to 760, the RF band local QoS advertisement system willdetermine if the developed RF band local QoS reports made available viathe broadcast need to be updated. In some embodiments, traffic in awireless neighborhood may change over time. In an example embodiment,the RF band local QoS advertisement system may determine to update theRF band local QoS reports periodically. Updating may be required everyfew minutes or at certain times during a day depending on traffic trendsfor the wireless neighborhood. It is understood that any period of timeor set times of day may be selected for RF band local QoS reportupdating. In other embodiments, a detected change to the wirelessneighborhood may trigger a required update to the RF band local QoSreports. For example, detected addition of a BTS system in the wirelessneighborhood may trigger an update in some embodiments. In otherembodiments, detection of a threshold level of mobile informationhandling systems operating in the wireless neighborhood or on acommunication frequency band may trigger an update. If an update isrequired to the RF band local QoS reports, flow may return to 705 forthe hub BTS system to commence scans of the communication frequencybands for BTS systems. The RF band local QoS advertisement system maythen proceed as described.

If no update is needed at 760, then the process may end. In someembodiments, the RF band local QoS advertisement system may monitor atime period, time of day, or mobile information handling systems or BTSsystems in the wireless neighborhood at 760 until an update may beneeded.

It is understood that the methods and concepts described in thealgorithm above for FIG. 7 may be performed in any sequence or steps maybe performed simultaneously in some embodiments. It is also understoodthat in some varied embodiments certain steps may not be performed atall or additional steps not recited in the above figures may beperformed. It is also contemplated that variations on the methodsdescribed herein may also be combined with portions of any otherembodiments in the present disclosure to form a variety of additionalembodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates another method for determining RF band local QoSreport for advertisement to a wireless neighborhood according to anembodiment. In this example embodiment, one or more wireless links maybe available to a user in a wireless neighborhood as described above.Some of those wireless links may be competing wireless link protocolsoperating on shared communication frequency bands. In an exampleembodiment, a mobile wireless communication device may select one ormore wireless links on a shared radiofrequency communication band. Forexample, a mobile wireless communication device may utilize a WLAN andan unlicensed small cell WWAN wireless link within the shared, wirelesscommunication band. In another example embodiment, one or more LPWANwireless links operating on the mobile information handling system inseparate protocols may utilize the shared, wireless communication band.

The method of FIG. 8 may be executed via code instructions for the RFband local QoS advertisement system on one or more processors orcontrollers at a hub BTS system or remotely situated and incommunication with one or more hub BTS systems. Further, the RF bandlocal QoS advertisement system may be in communication with a contextaware radio resource management system including a concurrent wirelesslink optimization system on one or more processors or controllerslocated remotely at a server system or even at a mobile informationhandling system in whole or in part. It is understood that each of thefollowing steps may be performed by the RF band local QoS advertisementsystem, by the context aware radio resource management system at the hubBTS system, at a mobile wireless communication device, or at a remotelocation in whole or in part, or some combination of the same. Forpurposes of the presently described embodiment, examples of the elementsof the RF band local QoS advertisement system and the context awareradio resource management system may be described as operating via oneor more hub BTS systems for explanation purposes.

The embodiment of FIG. 8 is another variation of the operation of the RFband local QoS advertisement system. At 805, the RF band local QoSadvertisement system may scan an RF communication band, such as a sharedcommunication band, in a wireless neighborhood of the hub BTS. Ascanning modem system of the hub BTS may operate to scan channels withinat least one communication frequency band and for a protocol in whichthe hub BTS system may operate as a transceiver as described. Further,the RF band local QoS advertisement system may communicate to auxiliaryhub BTS systems in the wireless neighborhood in an embodiment to conductscans according to wireless radio protocols or communication frequencybands supported thereon to develop a more complete assessment for QoS inthe local wireless neighborhood. In an aspect, any number of wirelesslink protocols and communication frequency bands may be scanned in thisway for use by the RF band local QoS advertisement system. In someembodiments, the hub BTS system may have capability to scan in aplurality of radio frequency bands.

Proceeding to 810, the RF band local QoS advertisement system may directa scanning modem of the hub BTS system to scan channel by channel withina communication frequency band. The RF band local QoS advertisementsystem may scanning will gather information about BTS systems operatingon each channel within range of the wireless adapter of the hub BTSsystem. Further, the RF band local QoS advertisement system may conductthe scanning to listen for ongoing wireless link operation on each ofthose channels.

At 815, the RF band local QoS advertisement system will gatherinformation for each of the BTS systems operating on the scannedchannels. Identifying information may be gathered from the in-range BTSsystems including BTS name, SSID or other identifiers. Further, each BTSon a channel may be associated with a wireless link radio protocoltechnology such as WLAN, small cell WWAN, LPWAN or the like. Theoperating communication frequency band may be identified along with theoperating channel and the channel size being utilized by each BTS systemduring the scan. The scan may further detect the security type requiredfor access to each BTS system on the channels in the wirelessneighborhood. In addition, in some embodiments, location information foreach BTS system detected during the scan may be determined. The locationmay be determined via a number of methods understood by those of skillin the art and described in embodiments herein. Location may be reportedby each BTS or assessed by location detection system and provided to theRF band local QoS advertisement system in various embodiments asdescribed.

Proceeding to 820, the RF band local QoS advertisement system may detectasset channel utilization by each detected BTS system operation withinthe wireless neighborhood. In one embodiment, assessing activity on thechannel by the neighborhood BTS systems over a period of time mayprovide a reading of BTS load occupancy for each BTS system operating onthe wireless links in the scanned channels. In some embodiments,auxiliary hub BTS systems may report BTS loading for systems operatingin other wireless protocols or on other wireless communication frequencybands not supported in the hub BTS.

In yet another embodiment, some wireless protocols provide for areporting system to make active load readings available such as at 825for the BTS systems operating within a wireless link protocol. Forexample, Wi-Fi systems in a WLAN may report BSS load under 802.11determinations from each AP in a WLAN. This BSS load data may beaccessed from a central database or from the BTS system itself invarious embodiments. Load reporting may be received by a context awareradio resource management system that is crowd sourced in accordancewith embodiments herein describing traffic and QoS reporting. Each BTSload may be accessed by the RF band local QoS advertisement system as ameasure of asset channel utilization. The RF band local QoSadvertisement system may draw BTS load values from one or more sourcessuch as those described above to determine load activity on BTS systemsoperating on each channel to be reported.

At 830, in some aspects, the hub BTS system may have scanningcapabilities within several communication frequency bands in thewireless neighborhood. If a hub BTS has capability to scan multiplecommunication frequency bands, then the RF band local QoS advertisementsystem will determine if another communication frequency band should bescanned by the hub BTS. If so, flow will return to 805 to select anothercommunication frequency band and select a channel within the scannedcommunication frequency band. The process may then proceed as describedabove for the new communication frequency band.

If no additional communication frequency bands may be scanned at the hubBTS system, then flow proceeds to 835. At 835, the RF band local QoSadvertisement system may receive BTS asset channel utilization for BTSsystems operating in a second wireless link protocol on a sharedcommunication frequency band from another source such as from anauxiliary hub BTS. In some embodiments, the hub BTS operating the RFband local QoS advertisement system may issue a request from anauxiliary hub BTS operating within the wireless neighborhood to scan aradio communication band under one or more protocols unavailable to thehub BTS system. A request to report that BTS scan data back to the RFband local QoS advertisement system. Scanning at the auxiliary hub BTSsystems within the wireless neighborhood may be conducted in accordancewith the aspects described above in embodiments herein relating tochannel scanning.

In other aspects, additional BTS asset channel utilization data for BTSsystems operating in additional wireless link protocols or on aplurality of other communication frequency bands in the wirelessneighborhood may be received at 835 from any of a plurality of sourcesfor this information as described above. For example, BTS asset channelutilization may be received pursuant to a scan request to one or moreauxiliary hub BTS systems in the wireless neighborhood. In otherembodiments, BTS asset utilization including BTS load data may bereported to a centralized location such as a centralized context awareradio resource management system data base within wireless intelligencetraffic reporting. The scanned and received BTS asset utilization datafor one or more communication frequency bands and a plurality ofwireless link protocols enables a RF band local QoS report of varyingdegrees of comprehensiveness to be assembled by the RF band local QoSadvertisement system.

At 840, the hub BTS operating the RF band local QoS advertisement systemaccess an operatively connected context aware radio resource managementsystem to obtain additional information relating to the BTS systemsdetected in the wireless neighborhood. The context aware radio resourcemanagement system may be connected to the hub BTS via wireless or wiredconnection in various embodiments. A processor executing instructions ofa RF band local QoS advertisement system may access wirelessintelligence and traffic reports as well as usage trends for thewireless neighborhood. In a particular example embodiment, the RF bandlocal QoS advertisement system may request information for particularwireless links and particular BTS systems detected in the wirelessneighborhood. This data will be matched with location data by thecontext aware radio resource management system to return QoS reportingas well as link ratings for each wireless link operating at the BTSsystems. Further, wireless link rating data may be returned according totime of day or according to various service usage category types asdescribed in embodiments herein.

The RF band local QoS advertisement system may determine BTS rankingsfor the wireless neighborhood at 845. The RF band local QoSadvertisement system utilizes the context aware radio resourcemanagement system to provide a link rating for wireless links associatedwith BTS devices in the wireless neighborhood. The link ratings for QoSmay be established according to embodiments herein and may includepreference weighting for specific wireless service usages. Furtherpreference weighting may be made with respect to cost, powerconsumption, user preferences or other factors as described. Further, aconcurrent wireless link optimization system may determine if BTSsystems may be subject to interference to reduce QoS of a BTS.Additionally, the concurrent wireless link optimization system mayprovide information on whether BTS systems may raise a likelihood oflocal interference at a mobile information handling system.Determination of whether BTS systems operate on adjacent or identicalchannels and thus are unsuitable for concurrent wireless link operationat a mobile information handling system may be determined and includedin BTS rankings. The link rating information may be blended with thelocal scan BTS information, such as load and BTS identification, todetermine rankings of available BTS systems. The rankings may be madeaccording to frequency band or made specific to wireless protocols insome embodiments. In the case of shared frequency communication bandswhere concurrent wireless links may be operated, interference risk maybe included. In an embodiment, channels associated with highly rankedBTS systems may be designated as recommended channels.

The RF band local QoS advertisement system in connection with thecontext aware radio resource management system including a concurrentwireless link optimization system may assess the number of neighboringBTSs operating in shared communication frequency bands. For eachpotential shared communication frequency band, the context aware radioresource management system including a concurrent wireless linkoptimization system may determine what wireless links are available inthat band in the wireless neighborhood. For example, for a sharedcommunication band such as U-NII at 5 GHz, the WLAN APs and unlicensedsmall cell WWAN substations in a wireless neighborhood for which radiosare available on a mobile information handling system may be assessed.Another example embodiment of selecting a shared communication frequencyband would include an ISM 900 MHz band for a plurality of LPWANprotocols such as for a LoRaWAN, LTE-MTC, NarrowBand IoT, Sigfox, orother BTS types in a wireless neighborhood.

The context aware radio resource management system including aconcurrent wireless link optimization system may access databasesremotely for access to resources or data stored there or, optionally,other data stored locally at mobile information handling system. Forexample, the mobile information handling system may access portions ofthe context aware radio resource management system including aconcurrent wireless link optimization system operating on remote serversto assist in determination of optimized BTS wireless links at the mobileinformation handling system location in an embodiment. Further, in someexample embodiments, crowd sourced data such as wireless intelligencetraffic reports may be sourced from remote databases at which this datais collected in some embodiments. Similarly, in an embodiment, wirelesscommunication device usage trend data may be accessed remotely for themobile information handling system to assess a history of data orcommunication usage on BTS systems. This data may include detailedinformation such as spatial temporal user profiles that show usage forthe mobile information handling system for locations, users, and basedon time of day or day of the week. Spatial temporal user profiles mayprovide somewhat reliable wireless communication device usage trend datain some embodiments in that it may capture cyclostationary trends atvarious locations. Additionally, BTS locally scanned load data well asother relevant data to the context aware radio resource managementsystem may be accessed from locally stored memory on the hub BTS.

The RF band local QoS advertisement system and the context aware radioresource management system including a concurrent wireless linkoptimization system may determine a set of optimized wireless links forcommunication in the wireless neighborhood. For each of the wirelesslinks online and available, the context aware radio resource managementsystem including a concurrent wireless link optimization system maygenerate a link rating, which may be weighted according to variousfactors as described in embodiments herein and modified or updated bythe RF band local QoS advertisement system local scanning. Link ratingsto determine optimized wireless links may include one or more sets ofwireless links operable in shared communication frequency bands. Thelink ratings, and recommended BTS channels may be affected by factorssuch as cost, proximity, power requirements, or availability.

Proceeding to 850, the RF band local QoS advertisement system willprepare an RF band local QoS report for the wireless neighborhood. TheRF band local QoS report may provide BTS ratings for each communicationfrequency band including competing protocols operating therein. Asdescribed in various embodiments above, the RF band local QoSadvertisement system may prepare an RF band local QoS report organizedin a variety of ways and may include information derived from scanningconducted within the wireless neighborhood as well as data and linkratings accessed via communication with a context aware radio resourcemanagement system in some embodiments. The RF band local QoS report mayinclude a recommended channel for operation which is based on loadcharacteristics as well as QoS data and link ratings. Link ratings mayalso be broken down by expected usage or be weighted in view of linkcosts or power consumption.

At 860, the RF band local QoS advertisement system will broadcast the RFband local QoS report on an unlicensed wireless channel. Broadcast on anunlicensed channel may provide free access by mobile informationhandling devices entering a wireless neighborhood. Received data fromthe RF band local QoS advertisement system may be used to reducecomputational or scanning burden on the mobile information handlingsystem during selection of one or more BTS systems and respectivewireless links among several available options for data communications.

In one embodiment, the RF band local QoS advertisement system mayutilize a beacon system at 860 to indicate to mobile informationhandling systems that RF band local QoS reports are available viaunlicensed communication. For example, a generic advertising services(GAS) system may be used to operate under I.E.E.E. 802.11u. The GASchannel may provide a transmitted beacon indicating network servicesbehind a BTS such as a Wi-Fi AP. A vendor specific option may indicatewithin this GAS beacon that a RF band local QoS report is available forone or more wireless link protocols. No authorization would be needed toaccess such a beacon. For example, the GAS beacon may contain one ormore tags. In an example embodiment, a custom tag entry may be includedsuch as PAN_Radio_Local_QOS_Report. Under I.E.E.E. 802.11u, the systemincludes APs communicating enhancements for a Wi-Fi network with moreinformation to wireless network participating devices pursuant to proberesponses seeking additional data. This provides for an ability ofclient devices such as mobile information handling systems in a wirelessneighborhood to request additional information on the RF band local QoSreports without saturating generic advertising services for enhancementsthat may not be consistently used.

Upon receiving information that the RF band local QoS reports areavailable to it, a mobile information handling system may probe under802.11u internetworking to receive the RF band local QoS reports from ahub AP. In some aspects, the hub AP may proxy a request to a externalserver to provide the RF band local QoS reports. The GAS channel may beused to deliver the RF band local QoS reports in some embodiments. Othervariations on broadcasting the RF band local QoS reports to mobileinformation handling systems in a wireless neighborhood are contemplatedas well including via use of LPWAN links or ISM protocols.

In another example embodiment, a wireless broadcast channel, such as achannel reserved under I.E.E.E. 802.11 Wi-Fi standards may be used tobroadcast the RF band local QoS reports by the hub BTS system on anunlicensed band. In an example embodiment, an unlicensed band at 2.4 GHzmay be used to broadcast the RF band local QoS reports due to goodwireless propagation range. Such a broadcast channel may be useful ifthe RF band local QoS reports are very consistently required and popularfor use by mobile information handling systems in a wirelessneighborhood. In this embodiment, an entering mobile informationhandling system may receive the RF band local QoS reports via thebroadcast channel on the unlicensed band without entering a requiredlink access routine or requiring authorization to access the broadcastchannel.

In an example embodiment, the RF band local QoS advertisement system maybroadcast the RF band local QoS reports periodically to potential mobileinformation handling systems entering a wireless neighborhood. Theperiodic broadcast may take place with relative frequency to ensurenewly entering mobile information handling systems to the wirelessneighborhood may have consistent access to the broadcast reports. Insome embodiments, the frequency may be altered and may be anytime fromless than every second to a matter of minutes or timed according toexample embodiments disclosed herein. It is understood that anyfrequency period of repeated broadcast may be used.

At 865, the RF band local QoS advertisement system may transmit datagathered for the RF band local QoS reports to the centralized contextaware radio resource management system. Such data may be included inradio frequency profile data such as that stored with wirelessintelligence and traffic report data for the location of the wirelessneighborhood.

Proceeding to 870, the RF band local QoS advertisement system willdetermine if the developed RF band local QoS reports made available viathe broadcast need to be updated. In some embodiments, traffic in awireless neighborhood may change over time. In an example embodiment,the RF band local QoS advertisement system may determine to update theRF band local QoS reports periodically in accordance with embodimentsherein. Updating may be required every few minutes or hours, or atcertain times during a day depending on traffic trends for the wirelessneighborhood. It is understood that any period of time or set times maybe used to determine a need for updating. In other embodiments, adetected change to the wireless neighborhood may trigger an update.

If an update is required to the RF band local QoS reports, flow mayreturn to 805 for the hub BTS system to commence scans of thecommunication frequency bands for BTS systems. The RF band local QoSadvertisement system may then proceed as described. If no update isneeded at 870, then the process may end. In some embodiments, the RFband local QoS advertisement system may monitor until an update may beneeded.

It is understood that the methods and concepts described in thealgorithm above for FIG. 8 may be performed in any sequence or steps maybe performed simultaneously in some embodiments. It is also understoodthat in some varied embodiments certain steps may not be performed atall or additional steps not recited in the above figures may beperformed. It is also contemplated that variations on the methodsdescribed herein may also be combined with portions of any otherembodiments in the present disclosure to form a variety of additionalembodiments. For example, aspects of the various embodiments of severalfigures herein may be modified as understood by those of skill toimplement variations described from each of those embodiments to themethods of FIG. 7 or FIG. 8.

In some embodiments, dedicated hardware implementations such asapplication specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can be constructed to implement one or more ofthe methods described herein or portions of one or more of the methodsdescribed herein. Applications that may include the apparatus andsystems of various embodiments can broadly include a variety ofelectronic and computer systems. One or more embodiments describedherein may implement functions using two or more specific interconnectedhardware modules or devices with related control and data signals thatcan be communicated between and through the modules, or as portions ofan application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, the presentsystem encompasses software, firmware, and hardware implementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein may be implemented by software programsexecutable by a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limitedembodiment, implementations can include distributed processing,component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing.Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed toimplement one or more of the methods or functionality as describedherein.

When referred to as a “device,” a “module,” or the like, the embodimentsdescribed herein can be configured as hardware. For example, a portionof an information handling system device may be hardware such as, forexample, an integrated circuit (such as an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), astructured ASIC, or a device embedded on a larger chip), a card (such asa Peripheral Component Interface (PCI) card, a PCI-express card, aPersonal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) card,or other such expansion card), or a system (such as a motherboard, asystem-on-a-chip (SoC), or a stand-alone device). The device or modulecan include software, including firmware embedded at a device, such asan Intel® Core™ or ARM® RISC brand processors, or other such device, orsoftware capable of operating a relevant environment of the informationhandling system. The device or module can also include a combination ofthe foregoing examples of hardware or software. Note that an informationhandling system can include an integrated circuit or a board-levelproduct having portions thereof that can also be any combination ofhardware and software.

Devices, modules, resources, or programs that are in communication withone another need not be in continuous communication with each other,unless expressly specified otherwise. In addition, devices, modules,resources, or programs that are in communication with one another cancommunicate directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries.

Although only a few exemplary embodiments have been described in detailherein, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many modificationsare possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departingfrom the novel teachings and advantages of the embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended tobe included within the scope of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure as defined in the following claims. In the claims,means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structuresdescribed herein as performing the recited function and not onlystructural equivalents, but also equivalent structures.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information handling system comprising: awireless interface for operating as a base transceiver station (BTS) ata location in a wireless neighborhood; a radio scanning modem forscanning a plurality of radio channels in a shared communicationfrequency band for remote BTS systems operating within communicationrange of the wireless interface; an application processor detecting BTSload for a first detected remote BTS system of across a first wirelesslink protocol operating on a first radio channel in the wirelessneighborhood; the application processor receiving data scanned for BTSload for a second detected remote BTS system of a second wireless linkprotocol in the wireless neighborhood; and the application processorpreparing a radiofrequency band local QoS report reporting BTSradiofrequency traffic load for at least one radio channel for the firstdetected remote BTS system of the first wireless link protocol and forthe second detected remote BTS system of the second wireless linkprotocol in the shared communication frequency band of the wirelessneighborhood.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless linkprotocol is a WLAN wireless link protocol and the second wireless linkprotocol is an unlicensed small cell WWAN wireless link protocol.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the first wireless link protocol is a LPWANwireless link and the second wireless link protocol is a second LPWANwireless link.
 4. The system of claim 1 further comprising: the wirelessinterface broadcasts the radiofrequency band local QoS report to a usermobile information handling system entering the wireless neighborhood.5. The system of claim 4, wherein the wireless interface broadcasts theradiofrequency band local QoS report on an unlicensed generaladvertising services channel periodically.
 6. The system of claim 1further comprising: the application processor transmitting a recommendedBTS between the first detected remote BTS system and the second detectedremote BTS system based on QoS factors in the wireless neighborhood. 7.The system of claim 1, wherein the radiofrequency band local QoS reportthe first detected remote BTS system and the second detected remote BTSsystem in the wireless neighborhood.
 8. The system of claim 1 furthercomprising: the application processor detecting the user mobileinformation handling system in the wireless neighborhood; theapplication processor executing code instructions of a context awareradio resource management system to determine a plurality of optimal BTSsystems for the first and second wireless links; and broadcasting thatplurality of optimal BTS systems to the user mobile information handlingsystem.
 9. A computer implemented method comprising: scanning aplurality of radio channels, via a radio scanning modem, in a sharedcommunication frequency band for a plurality of base transceiver station(BTS) systems operating a first wireless link protocol withincommunication range of a wireless interface for an anchor BTS;detecting, via an application processor, BTS load level for a pluralityof detected remote BTS systems of the first wireless link protocoloperating on a plurality of radio channels in a wireless neighborhood;receiving data scanned for BTS load level for a detected remote BTSsystems of a second wireless link protocol in the wireless neighborhood;and preparing a radiofrequency band local QoS report for at least one ofthe plurality of detected BTS system of the first wireless link protocoland the detected BTS system of the second wireless link protocol in theshared communication frequency band of the wireless neighborhood. 10.The method of claim 9 further comprising: broadcasting theradiofrequency band local QoS report to a user mobile informationhandling system detected in the wireless neighborhood.
 11. The method ofclaim 9 further comprising: broadcasting the radiofrequency band localQoS report periodically.
 12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:receiving data scanned for BTS load level for a plurality of detectedremote BTS systems of the second wireless link protocol in the wirelessneighborhood.
 13. The method of claim 9 further comprising: broadcastingthe radiofrequency band local QoS report including a list of optimal BTSsystems in the wireless neighborhood meeting a threshold link ratingbased in part based on a spatial-temporal radio frequency profilereceived for the wireless neighborhood location.
 14. The method of claim9, wherein the first wireless link protocol is a WLAN protocol andsecond wireless link protocols is an unlicensed small cell WWANprotocol.
 15. The method of claim 9 further comprising: receiving, at aprocessor, a spatial-temporal radio frequency profile indicating radiofrequency quality of service for wireless links on the BTS systems inthe wireless neighborhood location; and determining the radiofrequencyband local QoS report including a ranked list of optimal BTS systems inthe wireless neighborhood for the first wireless link protocol and thesecond wireless link protocol in the shared frequency band.
 16. Aninformation handling system comprising: a wireless interface foroperating as a base transceiver station (BTS) via one or more wirelesslinks under a first wireless link protocol at a location in a wirelessneighborhood; a radio scanning modem for scanning a plurality of radiochannels in a shared communication frequency band for remote BTS systemswithin communication range of the wireless interface; an applicationprocessor detecting BTS load for a plurality of detected BTS systemsoperating a first wireless link protocol on radio channels in thewireless neighborhood; the application processor executing codeinstructions of a radio resource management system for determining anoptimal detected BTS system on the first wireless link protocol, whereinthe optimal detected BTS system is determined based on aspatial-temporal radio frequency profile indicating signal quality forthe plurality of detected BTS wireless links in the wirelessneighborhood and received BTS load of any detected BTS system operatinga second wireless link protocol in a shared communication frequencyband; and the application processor preparing a radiofrequency bandlocal QoS report for at least one optimal detected BTS system in theshared communication frequency band within the wireless neighborhood forthe first wireless link protocol.
 17. The system of claim 16, whereinthe first wireless link protocol is a LPWAN wireless link and a secondwireless link protocol is a second LPWAN wireless link.
 18. The systemof claim 16, wherein the wireless adapter broadcasts the radiofrequencyband local QoS report to a user mobile information handling system. 19.The system of claim 16, wherein the wireless adapter broadcastsidentification of the at least one optimal detected BTS system in theshared communication frequency band within the wireless neighborhood forthe first wireless link protocol to a user mobile information handlingsystem.
 20. The system of claim 16 further comprising: the applicationprocessor receiving data scanned for BTS load for detected BTS systemsof a second wireless link protocol in the wireless neighborhood; and theapplication processor preparing the radiofrequency band local QoS reportfor at least one optimal detected BTS system of the second wireless linkprotocol in the wireless neighborhood.